The Mii Fighter Chronicles
by prastarkeepers
Summary: Following a devastating crash that wiped out the entire Nintendo multiverse, three Mii Fighters are all that remain. They must work together to find a way to reboot everything.
1. Prologue

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Prologue: The Crash

"We've got to hold the line!"

Twelve warriors stood alone atop a lonely castle wall. All around them, their world had crashed down in flames. A host of twitchy, pixellated creatures surrounded them on all sides, many of them trying to scale the wall to reach them. Intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran shot one, a Missingno from the world of Pokemon, from the wall with her laser cannon. The dinosaur Yoshi nailed the one beside it with an exploding egg.

"We can't hold it, Mario," the pink puffball Kirby shouted. "There's too many of them."

"We have to," Mario said, his overalls burned and tattered, his hat long since lost to the glitches. He stared up at the sky, which had already started to dissolve into vast purple nothingness. He tightened his grip on the tiny statuette in his left hand.

"Mario, we're all that's left," the star pilot Fox McCloud shouted as he blasted a pair of glitches in the head. "There's nowhere else to go. Everything's gone."

Mario blasted a long-necked alien glitch in the chest with a fireball. "I know," he said. "But we can't give up yet. If we don't stop them, who will?"

Villager spoke up from beside Mario's elbow. "Maybe R.O.B. 01 figured something out."

Mario glanced at Villager. He and the Wii Fit Trainer Jazz stood side by side, fending off the enemy with an array of projectiles ranging from soccer balls to turnips. They had been the first of the newest recruits to the Smash fighters last year, and he had watched them grow over the last several months from insecure rookies to confident and competent heroes.

"Sorry I dragged you two into this," he said.

Villager and Jazz stopped and looked at him. "It's okay," Jazz said. "We became Smash fighters for a reason, right?"

Mario looked down. "Right."

"Everyone, get back!"

The shout came from Link. He and Marth had been at the foremost point of the wall, fending off attackers with their swords. The two swordsmen fell back as a fresh wave of glitches flooded over the ramparts and onto the top of the wall itself. The twelve heroes bunched together, backing up as they defended themselves from the oncoming forces. Everyone gravitated behind Donkey Kong, who cleared away wide swaths of enemies with swings of his powerful arms. Pikachu jumped up over Donkey Kong's head and called down a storm of lightning that incinerated over a dozen glitches.

Mario fell in beside Peach, who knocked a glitch away with a swing of her frying pan.

"Looks like we're out of options, Mario," she said. She looked over at him with those big blue eyes he had fallen in love with the day he first arrived in the Mushroom Kingdom.

"I know, Peach," he said.

Peach hipchecked an enemy and knocked into several of its fellows. She held up the statuette she held. "I think it may be time to use these," she said.

Behind them, an enemy slashed Marth across the chest. The young prince started to dissolve into pixels.

Mario turned around quickly. "Marth, hurry," he said. "Your amiibo."

The warrior nodded, his sleek blue hair falling in his face as he did so. He held up his statuette, the tiny faceless figurine slowly taking on the form and features of the Prince of Altea. Marth soon vanished, leaving behind only a tiny replica of himself.

Donkey Kong fell shortly after, followed by Kirby. Samus went next, then Fox, then finally Link. Soon Mario and Peach found themselves with rapidly pixellizing wounds as well.

"This is it, Peach," Mario said, grasping her hand. He held up his amiibo and watched as it started to recreate his face. "We can only hope R.O.B. survived and figured out a way to reboot everything."

Peach gently kissed him on the cheek. "It'll be okay," she said. "We've survived a crash before. We can do it again."

Mario smiled at her. The two tightened their grip on each other's hand and closed their eyes as everything became fuzzy.


	2. Chapter 1

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter One: The Survivors

"Hold on!"

The three Mii Fighters Reggie, Brawler, and Erin tumbled around the deck of the Deep Diver as it veered sharply to the left. Brawler and Erin slammed into the wall on the far side, crumpling together in a heap, Reggie's sheathed sword clattering next to them. Reggie himself clung to the wheel, scrambling to climb back up and get the ship flying straight again.

"Chibi-Robo, can't you do anything?"

"Sorry, boss," the tiny robot clinging to a lever on one of the control panels replied. "I'm a little AFK at the moment."

The Diver slammed into something, causing the ship to tilt the opposite direction. Brawler and Erin flew through the air, slamming into the opposite wall. Reggie managed to wrap himself around the wheel, ensuring that he wouldn't fall to the other side. Fixing his feet against the deck, he pulled with all his might on the wheel, working to get the ship stabilized again.

"Boss," Chibi-Robo shouted.

"Not now, Chibi," he said.

"But, boss, we're about to crash."

Reggie whipped his head around to look through the nearby viewport. A river of filthy water loomed mere feet from them.

"Hold on!" he shouted.

The submarine struck the water hard, throwing all three Mii Fighters and Chibi-Robo into the front wall. The craft bobbed for a minute before sinking beneath the brown water. Soon, nothing could be seen through the viewport but a swirling mix of mud and trash.

For a few minutes the Mii Fighters struggled to get themselves out of the tangled mess of arms, legs, and power cord they had become.

"Get off me," Erin muttered.

"Reggie, I think I found your sword," Brawler groaned.

Chibi-Robo simply let out a flattened squeak from the bottom of the pile.

Reggie worked himself out of the mess, taking his sword from Brawler and getting to his feet. "Where are we?" he asked.

"At the bottom of a river," Brawler said, standing next to him.

"I know that. I mean, _where_ are we?"

"Well," Erin said, getting to her feet and brushing herself off. "The glitches wiped out the multiverse. So what's left?"

"The other multiverses?" Brawler offered. "Sega? Konami?"

"No," Reggie said. "We haven't traveled that far. Besides, last I heard, all the game multiverses were under attack. R.O.B. said he hadn't seen an invasion of this magnitude since the Crash of '83."

"So, where are we then?"

"I guess we're wherever R.O.B. and Mario and the others ended up after the last crash."

The three Miis fell silent for a moment, glancing around the deck and studying the water outside the window.

"So, um," Erin said, brushing back her long red hair, "Do you . . . do you think R.O.B. made it out?"

Brawler and Reggie looked at each other, then down at the floor.

"It's possible," Reggie said, fiddling with the hilt of his sword.

"Yeah," Brawler said. "I mean, the four of us made it out, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Erin said. She put on a fake smile. She pointed to the small bag resting against a nearby console. "At least we managed to salvage some of the amiibos."

She went to the bag and opened it up, revealing three black gamepads and a dozen tiny statuettes.

"Only twelve though," Brawler muttered. Reggie elbowed him in the side.

"The others are out there somewhere," Reggie said. "It's just a matter of finding them. That's what we've got Chibi for. Right, Chibi?"

The tiny robot hopped up onto the dashboard and saluted. "Yes sir, boss," he said.

Reggie reached into the bag and pulled out a tiny plastic figure. The red hat, overalls, and bushy mustache were all exact replications of the great hero Mario. He gripped the figurine tightly and stood up.

"Okay," he said. "First thing we have to do is assess the damage to the sub and start looking for the other amiibos. Chibi?"

"Already on it, boss."

The robot plugged his cord into the console he stood on and started processing information. "The ship sustained heavy damage during the crash. We will be able to keep it afloat if we need to, but it won't be flying again any time soon. I suggest seeking out a mechanic."

Reggie ran a hand through his shaggy blonde hair. "Got it," he said. "What about amiibos?"

"I am detecting scattered signatures in the nearby area, but it will take some time to pin down their exact locations."

Reggie nodded. "Alright," he said. "You keep working on that. The three of us will go up and look around."

Chibi-Robo nodded. "Sure thing, boss."

A few minutes later, the three Mii fighters had gathered their packs and weapons, each one taking a gamepad just in case, and were climbing up the ladder to the escape hatch. Reggie pulled the latch and pushed the hatch open to reveal blue skies overhead. He took a deep breath and gagged on musty pollution. He stuck his head out to see tall skyscrapers surrounding them on all sides, the dirty river they had landed in cutting a path right through it. In the distance, a large bridge connected the two banks.

"We're in a city?" Brawler asked, climbing out behind Reggie.

"Looks like it," Reggie said. "New York City, I think."

"But, New York City doesn't exist in our world, does it?"

"No, it doesn't," Erin said, studying the gamepad in her hands. "That's part of another universe. We only know about it through facsimiles that exist in worlds like Punch-Out! and the original Donkey Kong games." She gestured to the cityscape around them and held up her gamepad. "Most of this isn't real. It just looks like New York."

She turned slowly, holding the gamepad up to her eyes. "A few buildings on that side are real," she said, pointing at the nearby bank.

"If the multiverse was destroyed," Brawler said. "What is any of this doing here?"

Erin didn't answer for a moment, continuing to turn and scan their surroundings. She stopped, her eyes widening.

"Erin?" Reggie asked. "What is it?"

"This _is_ where Mario and R.O.B. ended up," she said. "Look."

She handed her gamepad to Reggie and pointed out where he should look. Reggie turned the pad in that direction, his eyes widening as well.

There in the distance, behind a few facade buildings and surrounded by a couple of other real buildings, stood a familiar, unfinished construction site standing one hundred meters tall.


	3. Chapter 2

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Two: The Plumber

"You say you need someone who can fix your _submarine_?"

The beefy foreman looked at Reggie over the rim of his sunglasses. The man smelled of beer and musk, his shaggy beard filled with sheetrock dust. The orange vest the man wore looked about to burst from the strain of holding in the man's gut.

Reggie swallowed. "Yes, sir," he replied. "As soon as possible, if we can."

The man shuffled some papers, shaking his head. "I'll see what I can do."

He got up from his desk, hefting his tool belt up around his waist and sauntering over to the window that looked out on his workshop. "Hey, Jumpman, get in here."

"Jumpman?" Reggie asked. He fingered the Mario figurine in his pocket. Could it be? He wondered.

The foreman returned to his desk. "I think I might have a man for the job. Granted, he's not the best worker I've ever had, but at least he's reliable."

A few minutes later, the door to the office opened. "You called for me, boss?"

Reggie turned, his jaw dropping. The man standing in the doorway stood about four to five feet tall. He wore a dirty gray jumpsuit with a toolbelt fixed around his hips. He had curly brown hair, a few grays sprinkling it here and there. A thick black mustache nearly covered the genial smile he wore on his face. Except for the unkempt stubble around his chin, he was the splitting image of Mario.

"Mario?" Reggie asked.

The man looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Um, sorry," he said. "Have we met?"

"It's me, Reggie. Reggie the Mii. R.O.B. created me. We fought together in the last Smash tournament."

"Tournament?" the foreman asked. "What's this all about, Jumpman? When were you in a tournament?"

"I don't think I ever was, boss," the newcomer said. He turned back to Reggie. "Sorry, not ringing a bell. Nice to meet you though. I'm Mario Mario. The guys around here call me Jumpman."

He held out his hand. Reggie shook it, staring at the man's face. "But . . . we're friends, comrades. Don't you remember?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the amiibo. "Look, this is you, see?"

He held up the tiny plastic figurine. Mario and the foreman stared at the amiibo then shared a glance.

"Mario," the foreman said. "Why does this guy have an action figure of you?"

"I'm-a not sure, boss," Mario replied. "You're kinda starting to creep me out, kid. Um, what was it you needed me for, boss?"

"This guy says he needs help fixing a submarine," he said. "But now I'm really starting to think he's a little off his rocker."

"No, no," Reggie said, stashing the amiibo back in his pocket. "I do need help. My friends and I crashed in the river. We need a mechanic before we can get it in the air again."

"I thought it was a submarine," the foreman said.

"It is. It's a flying submarine. Look, just trust me, okay. It's right down there in the river. I'm willing to pay you any amount necessary. I have coins, rupees, rings, you name it. Just please take a look."

Mario considered the Mii for a few seconds. He chewed the inside of his cheek, his bushy mustache bristling against his lower lip. He glanced down at his boss.

"He seems pretty sincere to me."

The foreman sighed, his breath smelling of cigarette smoke. "Alright," he said, waving his hand. "Check it out. I'll have one of the eggplant men cover for you here. Just don't come crying when the kid turns out to be completely mental."

Mario turned back to Reggie, gesturing to the door. "Lead the way."

Reggie stood and led Mario from the room, a thousand questions swirling through his head.

* * *

"Look at me, Erin, I'm Donkey Kong."

Brawler stood at the edge of the narrow beam and beat his fists against his chest.

"Brawler, get down from there," Erin shouted. "We have a job to do."

"Oh, come on, Erin," Brawler shouted back. "Have a little fun. We're in the actual Donkey Kong construction site. There are barrels up here and everything. I'll let you be Pauline."

"Yeah," Erin said, shaking her head. "I don't think so."

The Mii gunner looked down at the gamepad in her hands. The blinking light in the middle of the screen had gotten brighter, the soft beeping getting louder and louder. "It's around here somewhere," she said, holding the gamepad up so that she could look through it. "I can't quite pin it down though."

Brawler clambered down through the rows of steel beams and ladders until he stood beside Erin. "Maybe it's at the top," he suggested.

Erin pointed her gamepad upward. "I don't think so," she said. "The signal gets weaker that way. It must be around us somewhere."

"Whatcha lookin' for?"

Brawler and Erin turned to see a strange man sitting on a barrel nearby.

Brawler looked around. "W-were you there before?"

The man grinned, showing a row of slimy green teeth. He looked at them through dark blue shades, ratty black locks of hair framing his thick face. A fedora sat on top of his head, a pen topped with a fake eyeball fitted into it like a feather. The man lounged on the barrel draped in several layers of grungy trenchcoats with a blue wool scarf wrapped around his neck. He wore fingerless gloves and held a black kunai knife between his fingers, with which he picked his teeth every few seconds.

"I might have been," the man said, his voice scratchy and grating.

"Who are you?" Erin said. She didn't remember seeing a face like his in any game manuals recently.

"Friends call me Izzy. If your lookin' for one of them little statue things, you might try that zoo over yonder. Hear they have a mighty fine gorilla exhibit."

"Gorillas?" Erin said. She glanced in the direction the man pointed. A large complex sat on the opposite side of the street from the construction site. She held up her gamepad. The signal seemed to be just slightly stronger in that direction.

"Do you think it might be Donkey Kong?" Brawler asked, nudging Erin's arm.

"I don't know," she said. She turned back to the man. "Hey, how-"

She stopped. The man was gone. The barrel he sat on stood empty.

Brawler and Erin looked at each other. "I guess we better check it out," she said.

Brawler bounced up and down excitedly. He followed Erin as she led the way out of the construction site and across the street to the zoo. With every step they took, the signal seemed to keep getting stronger.

The man named Izzy watched them go from behind an unfinished sheetrock wall. A blurry pale figure stood beside him. "Looks like we have a few survivors," he said. He reached into one of his many trenchcoats and removed a pair of tiny statuettes. He handed them to his companion.

"Show 'em a good time for me, will ya?"


	4. Chapter 3

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Three: The Placeholder

"Wow. I guess you really do have a submarine."

Reggie climbed down the hatch ladder after Jumpman. He turned to see the handyman gazing around the bridge in wonder. "So, I thought you were a plumber?" Reggie asked.

Jumpman turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "I do a lot of odd jobs," he said. "Plumber, mechanic, construction worker. Sometimes I referee boxing matches down at the local gym. I even tried to be a doctor once, but that didn't really work out very well. How did you know that?"

Reggie gripped the Mario figurine in his hand. "Um, never mind," he said.

Jumpman glanced around again, spotting the bag of trophies laying nearby. "You have more of those statue things?" he said, walking over to the bag and looking inside. "Are you some kind of creepy collector or something?"

Jumpman reached inside and shuffled through them. He stopped and withdrew a small plastic figurine of Princess Peach, her pink, confectionary dress and long golden hair perfectly recreated. The mechanic held up the figure, staring at it as if entranced.

Reggie watched Jumpman's face carefully, searching for some kind of recognition. "Do you know her?" he asked.

Jumpman stared for a few seconds longer before coming to his senses and shaking his head. "No," he said. "Of course not. Never seen anyone like her." He stared at the statuette again. "Besides," he said, tossing it back in the bag, "I have a girlfriend anyway."

The door at the back of the room slid open. Chibi-Robo walked in, carrying a stack of paper. Jumpman turned and jumped at the sight of a tiny android doing paperwork. "What is that thing?" he asked.

Chibi-Robo stopped and glanced around his papers. His tiny camera lens eyes widened as he saw who had spoken. "Mario," he said, tossing his papers into the air. "You survived." The tiny robot leaped across the room and threw himself around Jumpman's neck. The handyman understandably panicked and knocked the robot away.

"What the heck is this?" he shouted.

Chibi-Robo stared up Mario. He looked at Reggie, confused and a little hurt. "What does he mean, boss?"

Reggie bent down and picked up the robot. "Chibi, this is Jumpman," he said. "He's here to fix the sub. Jumpman, this is Chibi. He's our helper robot."

Chibi looked even more confused. He looked back at Jumpman. "Um, nice to meet you, Mr. Jumpman," he said.

Jumpman stared at Chibi, then at Reggie, then at Chibi again. "Um, nice to meet you too, Chibi. A helper robot, huh? I think I've heard of those."

"Chibi," Reggie said. "Why don't you show our guest where the problems are?"

Chibi glanced up at Reggie. "Yes, boss," he said. "Right this way, Mr. Jumpman."

Jumpman followed the tiny robot from the bridge. Reggie ran his hand through his hair in frustration and followed them.

After Chibi showed Jumpman the areas of the engine room that had been damaged in the crash, the mechanic slid himself under some smoky machinery to get a closer look. Reggie and Chibi-Robo watched him work, far enough away to be out of immediate earshot.

"Did you scan him?" Reggie asked.

"Yes, boss," the robot replied, nodding his large cylindrical head up and down.

"What is he?"

"As far as I can tell," the robot said, "he's Mario without the Mario."

Reggie raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"He's," the robot paused, the gears audibly spinning in his head as he tried to find the words, "he's like a placeholder. He's the character model without any of the memory or data that made him the Mario we knew."

Reggie tried to grasp what the robot was saying. "So, he's Mario as he was before any of the games happened?"

"Exactly. I don't even think _Donkey Kong_ has happened to him yet."

Reggie looked down at the trophy in his hand. If Jumpman was the character model, then this statue must contain all of the memory and data. He held it up for Chibi to see. "So how do we get this back into him?"

The tiny robot stared at the amiibo as he processed information. "I do not know," he finally said. "There is nothing in any of the instructions programmed by R.O.B. 01 regarding such a situation."

Reggie opened his mouth to say something when Jumpman rolled out from under the machinery. "Well," the mechanic said. "This thing is really messed up. If it actually does fly, it won't be for a while."

Reggie slipped the amiibo back in his pocket. "How long?" he asked.

* * *

Brawler and Erin stood before a large zoo enclosure, their hands against the wrought iron bars. A massive gorilla with thick red fur lounged on a makeshift hammock inside the enclosure, leisurely munching on a banana. The ape wasn't wearing a necktie or anything, but the resemblance was uncanny.

"It can't be," Erin said. "We have his amiibo right here." She reached into her pocket and remove the tiny figurine. "He couldn't have survived."

"But, wasn't this Donkey Kong different from our Donkey Kong?" Brawler said. "I thought the original one was supposed to be Donkey Kong's grandfather or something."

"Yeah, I guess," Erin said. "But that would make this Cranky Kong then. And he sure doesn't look like Cranky Kong to me."

Brawler stared at the great ape through the bars. The gorilla glanced back at him with a bored expression before picking up another banana. Both Brawler and the ape scratched the inside of their noses at the exact same time.

"There's something going on here," Erin said. She studied her gamepad, using it to scan the hairy beast.

"PerhaLps you sIhould JRopen uHp the cHGVage anEd ask tIhe monDkey abNout it," a stuttering, glitchy voice said from behind them.

Brawler and Erin froze. The Mii fighters slowly turned to find a tall, blurry humanoid figure standing behind them. His features were too out of focus to make out, but he held a blocky silver sword in one hand and a black gamepad matching Erin's in the other.

"You're one of those glitches," Erin said.

The figure nodded, his body flashing red and green momentarily. "You maKJy call mNe Reset, iLf you wEIant. It's niHce to meVXet you."

Erin remembered R.O.B. 01 telling them of a blurry being who had broken into Professor Hector's lab, stealing a gamepad and murdering the professor. "A-are you the one who killed our grandfather?"

"KilDLled?" Reset said. "Such aCV stronAg wordL. SurelOy, he leNGLft an amBiibo bLehind, Vdidn't heJ?"

Brawler stared between Erin and Reset. As soon as he processed what Erin was saying, he glared at the glitch. "You're the guy who killed Professor Hector and Uncle Vector?" he growled. "I'm gonna take you down!"

He charged at the glitch. "Brawler, no!" Erin shouted.

Reset chuckled an unsettling, choppy laugh. He dropped his sword and pulled out a pair of amiibos from within the blurry pixels of his torso. He slammed them one after the other against the reader on his gamepad. Two blurry pixellated figures began to take shape between him and Brawler. One figure took the shape of a gorilla, smaller than the one in the enclosure, but with similar red fur, and a white onesie emblazoned with a 'J' covering most of his body. The other formed into a large green frog with bright red eyes and yellow markings on his back. The frog tackled Brawler, knocking him to the ground.

"I hope yoDu're bothU familiaNr with DoInkey KoVNng JunioFr and FroLgger," Reset said. "My felloGw glitchJes and I wIent to a lBot of troXuble to cKollect tEhem both."


	5. Chapter 4

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Four: The Hacker

Frogger's tongue shot from his mouth and latched onto Brawler's face. Brawler screamed as he struggled to get the large pixellated frog off of him. The amphibian felt much heavier than he looked.

A blast of energy hit the frog in the side and sent it flying into a nearby lion cage. Erin grinned as she lowered her smoking gun arm. Brawler rolled to his side, rubbing his hand across the large red mark on his face. "Thanks," he gasped.

A large ball of red fur slammed into Erin, latching onto her back and yanking at her long hair. Erin flailed around, struggling to get her gun around her head to shoot at the baby gorilla. Donkey Kong Junior wrapped his legs around her torso, pulling her hair with one hand while pounding his chest with the other.

"Ow!" she cried after a particularly strong yank.

Brawler got to his feet and ran to help his friend. He tackled the ape, pounding it with his fists. Both Brawler and Donkey Kong Junior tumbled off of Erin, taking a long patch of red hair with them.

Erin bit her lip, rubbing the back of her head where the hair had been torn out. She turned around and aimed her gun at the rolling ball of fists and fur.

"Brawler, hold him still!" she shouted.

"Kinda busy!" Brawler shouted back.

Erin took a deep breath, trying her best to aim at Donkey Kong Junior without hitting Brawler. She charged her gun. Frogger tackled her from behind, causing the shot to go wild. The energy beam flew right over Brawler and Junior's heads and blasted a hole in the cage bars surrounding the nearby gorilla pen.

The large gorilla contained within cowered against the far wall, covering his face with his hands, as the barriers keeping him inside were vaporized. As the smoke and light cleared, he lowered his arms. Slowly, he approached the hole, staring curiously at the melted metal stubs of the bars.

Beyond the enclosure, Brawler and Erin wrestled with Donkey Kong Junior and Frogger, desperately fighting to get the upper hand. Only the lone pale pixellated figure of Reset stood apart from the chaos, casually sidestepping the battle as he approached the great ape.

"Hello, my friVCend," Reset said, the pixels that made up his face shifting as if into a smile. "It's beenZ a while."

The gorilla snarled at the approaching figure, baring his teeth and drawing up to his full height.

"No neRed to be afraVid," he said. "I only wanSt to control yAou."

He stretched out his hand toward the beast. The gorilla took it as a threat and swung his fist at the enemy. Reset caught the fist in his other hand, stopping the punch effortlessly. The gorilla tried to pull away but couldn't, the pixels of Reset's hand latching onto the hairy fingers.

"Why don't yVNou let me takLe the controUller for a whAile?"

Reset's body dissolved into individual pixels that wrapped around the ape's fist and started crawling their way up his body. The gorilla screamed in agony as his body began to be overtaken. Erin kicked Frogger off of her as Brawler pinned Donkey Kong Junior to the ground, both looking up at the cry.

The gorilla fell to the ground, writhing as his entire body was swallowed up by pixels. Soon, the pixels solidified into a cohesive shape. The gorilla stood, now a perfect replication of the eight-bit pixellized Donkey Kong from the original arcade game.

It held up its hand and studied its blocky, digital fingers. The ape's lips parted in a cruel cackle. "What do you think?" it said in the voice of Reset. It's speech was perfectly fluid, free of any glitches or stutters.

"What did you do?" Erin asked, staring in disbelief.

"I hacked into your friend here," he said. He stepped through the hole in the gorilla's cage and onto the pavement. "Don't you just hate it when a game glitches and the player loses all control of their character. I'm rather gifted in that category. So, who wants to play a little _Donkey Kong_?"

The massive eight-bit ape let loose an earth-shattering roar and barreled toward the two Mii Fighters. He knocked Erin several feet with a backhand like a piledriver, then wrapped his fist around Brawler's throat and lifted him off of Junior. Brawler punched and kicked at the giant arm holding him, but the ape didn't even flinch. "Scrappy little clone, aren't you?" he said. "I wonder how well you'd survive a hundred meter drop."

He turned to Erin. She was bruised and battered with a swollen black eye. She shook as she raised herself up on one knee and pointed her gun at the big ape. Reset snorted in derision. He gestured to Junior and Frogger. "Finish her," he said. He turned away only for an energy blast to hit him square in the shoulder, scattering his pixels briefly. He turned back to see his minions overwhelming the young Mii.

He tightened his grip on Brawler's throat, the Mii's face turning blue. He smiled a cruel smile and loped away toward the construction site.

* * *

Reggie and Jumpman climbed out of the submarine and onto the shore. "It's going to run you about two hundred coins at least," Jumpman said. "I'll do the labor myself. That way, it won't cost you extra. I'll be back tomorrow with the tools I need."

"Deal," Reggie said. He shook the plumber's hand, staring at him sadly. It was hard, staring at Mario's face and having to pretend it was someone else.

Reggie's gamepad beeped at his side. He looked down, removing it from his belt and switching it on. Erin's face appeared on the screen in the center. Her face was bloody and covered in thick purple bruises. She seemed panicked and out of breath. Something green moved in the background behind her.

"Reggie," she shouted. "Trouble. Glitches. Got Brawler."

Something red struck her in the face and she fell. The video crackled and turned to static.

"Something wrong?" Jumpman asked.

"Yeah," Reggie said, tapping buttons on the pad. "My friends are in trouble. Over at the construction site." He pointed out the direction.

Jumpman squinted into the distance. "Hey, my company's working on that site. I also worked as a janitor at the zoo across the street one weekend. Hop into my car, I know the quickest route."

Reggie hurried to the opposite side of the beaten-up old car parked on the curb nearby. "Are you sure?" he asked. "I thought you had to get back to your boss?"

Jumpman shrugged as he climbed into the driver's seat. "Eh, if anything happens to that construction site, it'll come out of my salary. I figure the boss can wait."

Reggie climbed into the passenger's seat beside him.

"You'll want to buckle up," Jumpman said. "I've lived in Brooklyn my whole life. My driving tends to get a little crazy."

He started the engine, hit the gas, and sped off toward the construction site.


	6. Chapter 5

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Five: The Fight

Donkey Kong Junior's fist connected with Erin's jaw. She slammed into the ground hard, her skull feeling like a bag of marbles against the concrete. Her gamepad went flying, the small square image of Reggie turning into static.

Erin rolled, ignoring the throbbing pain in her head and jawbone, to catch Frogger in the gut as he sprang through the air at her. She fired up her arm cannon and blasted him into the giraffe pen nearby. She got to her feet, her left knee wobbling a little. Donkey Kong Junior pounded his chest and charged at her.

Erin fired again, this time blasting the young ape in the chest and knocking him back into his father's destroyed cage. The pixels on the front of his chest rippled and scattered momentarily, but slipped right back into place seconds later.

"What does it take to kill these guys?" she wondered.

Donkey Kong Junior shook his head and growled at Erin. He reared up and pounded his chest again.

Erin's head throbbed. She winced but held her ground.

Donkey Kong Junior charged. Erin sidestepped the attack and shot the ape in the side, knocking him to the ground. The pixels rippled, but still no damage remained.

Erin took advantage of her opponent's fall to run for her gamepad. She scooped it up off the ground and started to fiddle with the buttons. Nothing happened. The screen remained static, with a spiderweb of cracks spreading from the bottom left corner.

"Come on, come on," she said frantically, pressing every button she could.

Donkey Kong Junior had gotten to his feet and was now charging his opponent again.

Erin bit her lip and stashed her gamepad away on her belt. She held up her gun arm and fired off a volley of blasts at the big ape. With each hit, the gorilla stumbled, but each one seemed to have less and less of an effect. Once he got within a few feet, Erin changed tactic and fired at the ground, launching herself into the air over Donkey Kong Junior's head. She shot downward a few more times, launching herself higher while shooting him in the back of the head. She landed on the ground behind the ape and spun to aim her gun at him again.

Frogger slammed into her back and wrapped his sticky webbed feet around her torso. Erin stumbled, trying to grab at the amphibian. Frogger's tongue shot out of its mouth and clung to the back of her hair. Erin put her gun over her shoulder and fired but missed. The energy bolt shot harmlessly past Frogger and into a passing truck on the road between the zoo and the construction site.

Erin continued to turn herself around, trying to knock Frogger off. She spun just in time to see Donkey Kong Junior's furry red form right beside her, right before he punched her in the gut and sent her and Frogger flying across the zoo's main plaza and onto the sidewalk at the edge of the road.

She slammed into the pavement hard, the pain in her head and jaw doubling in intensity. Frogger changed positions, placing himself on top of her and holding her down. The giant green frog let out a soft croak and opened its mouth. Erin struggled underneath him, shifting her head to the side to avoid its long pink tongue. Her gun arm was free and she worked to get it up under him. She glanced to the side to see a large truck approaching on the street nearby.

Thinking quickly, she aimed her gun at the frog's side and fired. Frogger flew off of her and into the truck's path. Amphibian and vehicle collided, resulting in Frogger exploding into a thousand tiny pixels that scattered into the air and vanished.

Erin got to her feet, shaking and breathing heavily. She waited anxiously, expecting the frog to reform at any moment. Several seconds went by. Nothing happened.

"That's it," she said. "We have to kill them the way they die in the game."

Donkey Kong Junior let out a feral screech behind her. She turned to see the small red ape pounding its chest at her. She scanned the zoo around her until she spotted a nearby jungle-themed enclosure laid out exactly like the old _Donkey Kong Jr._ arcade game.

"Alright, big boy," Erin said. "You want to play? Follow me."

She dashed for the enclosure, firing at Donkey Kong Junior as she ran. The ape pounded its chest furiously and charged after her. Erin made it halfway across the enclosure before the ape tackled her and slammed her into the ground. Erin fought back against the ape, working herself around in order to shoot him in the chest and knock him away again.

Erin stumbled to her feet and ran for the enclosure again. She shifted her arm cannon's settings and fired at the ground, launching a ball of fire that sprang up into a small blaze between her and him. She made it to the gate and threw it open, lunging inside.

She stopped. She now stood on a small grassy island overlooking a large water feature. Row upon row of vines hung over her head, leading up to a small artificial canopy used by the animal handlers. Several small reptilian creatures were crawling around in the mess of vines.

Erin turned to see Donkey Kong Junior barreling toward her once again. She switched her gun back to normal and fired at the ground, launching herself into the air again. She reached out and grabbed the nearest vine with her free hand. She hung there, clinging with all her might, wishing she could use her other hand at the moment.

Donkey Kong Junior grabbed two vines and started climbing after her. Erin swung her legs forward, wrapping them around the next set of vines. A reptile clinging to the vines started after her, its mouth full of sharp teeth snapping at her legs. Erin raised her gun arm and shot the lizard off the vine. She took a deep breath and let go with her hand, swinging herself around to grasp the next vine in line.

Donkey Kong Junior behind her was having no such trouble. The baby gorilla maneuvered his way through the vines like it was second nature to him. Erin let go with her legs and swung them forward in order to catch the next group. This batch hung from the ceiling, rather than the canopy. She let go with her hand and grabbed onto the vines her legs were wrapped around.

Another reptile started after her. Acting through instinct, she let go of the vine, grabbed the lizard around the waist, and flung it at her pursuer. The lizard latched onto another vine and started after Donkey Kong Junior. The ape was too smart however and let go of the vine the lizard was on.

Erin almost fell backwards, but she managed to grab hold of her vine once again. Donkey Kong Junior was almost upon her, reaching out for the back of her orange shirt. Erin shot downwards, letting go of the vines entirely and launching herself into the air. She reached out and grabbed the edge of the canopy. With all her strength, she pulled herself up over the rim and onto the safety of the artificial structure.

Erin glanced over the side, seeing that Donkey Kong Junior was now clinging to the vines she had just let go and was climbing his way up toward her. She retreated backwards, stumbling over a group of lizards scampering around. Several of them snapped at her legs.

"If I remember right," she said. She bent down and snagged one, ignoring the bites from the others, and threw it at the vines Donkey Kong Junior clung to. She threw one after the other, but Donkey Kong Junior was too quick, letting go of any vine a lizard landed on. Erin picked up another lizard and considered.

She approached the edge to see that Donkey Kong Junior was now within arms reach of the canopy, using his arms and legs to scale two vines. She aimed her gun and fired at the left vine, throwing the lizard at the right during the flash of the energy blast.

Donkey Kong Junior let go of the left vine, clinging solely to the right, not noticing the lizard clambering down it. The lizard reached his hands and bit into the pixellized flesh. The gorilla let out a screech of pain and surprise, letting go of the vine with all fours. The ape plummeted through the mess of vine and exploded into pixels upon impact with the water below.

Erin stood at the edge, watching the spot where the gorilla had vanished and letting the pain of her injuries set in. Her head, her jaw, her arm, her back. The spot on the back of her head where her hair had been ripped out. Everything was screaming in agony. It took her a few seconds to realize that several lizards were currently sinking their teeth into her legs.


	7. Chapter 6

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Six: The Game

The giant pixellized Donkey Kong lumbered across the construction site, Brawler clamped in his massive fist. The Mii Fighter punched and clawed and bit at the big ape's fingers wrapped around his waist. The gorilla sneered at his victim as he reached the bottom of the large abandoned structure of crossbeams, barrels, and jacks. He placed his foot on the bottommost steel beam, the cold steel fuzzy against his giant sole of pixels.

Izzy leaned against a control panel nearby, chewing the end of a kunai knife. He glanced up from underneath his hat and over his shades at the big ape. Donkey Kong nodded, and Izzy grinned, hitting a button on the control panel with his elbow. A bright white energy barrier fired up around the structure.

The gorilla threw Brawler over his shoulder as he began to scale the structure. He made it up about twenty-five meters, stopped, and placed Brawler down on a large platform.

"Why don't you just sit there and play Pauline for a while," he said.

"Not a chance!" Brawler sprang to his feet and tackled the ape, beating at his shoulder with his fists. Donkey Kong shook his head in disgust. He grabbed the fist of the Mii and swung him high into the air, slamming him down against the steel platform over and over again. Finally, Brawler fell limp and Donkey Kong released him. The Mii sprawled unconscious on the platform.

"Now," Donkey Kong said. "You just sit tight while our Hero arrives."

He glanced out over the construction site to see a beat-up old car skidding to a stop on the sidewalk nearby.

Donkey Kong grinned. "Let the games begin."

* * *

Jumpman brought the car to a halt, the side squealing against the curb. Reggie threw the passenger door open, threw his seatbelt off of himself, and bolted out of the car and onto the sidewalk. He looked up to see a large red pixellized gorilla standing on a nearby structure. A small figure in red lay motionless on the platform beside him.

"Brawler," he said.

Jumpman hurried up next to Reggie, staring up at the gorilla. "What is that thing?" he asked.

"That's Donkey Kong," Reggie said.

"Donkey Kong?" Jumpman said. "You mean like the gorilla from the zoo across the street? That's not him. Donkey Kong has real fur and stuff."

Reggie grabbed the plumber by the shoulders. "Mario," he said. "Don't you remember? This is how your story got started. Donkey Kong kidnapped your girlfriend and climbed to the top of that construction site. You rescued her. Do you remember any of that?"

Jumpman stared at Reggie like he was insane. "What are you talking about?" he said. "I'm just a plumber. I never rescued anyone from any gorilla. Pretty sure I couldn't if I tried. Just what kind of scheme are you trying to pull anyway, kid?"

"Scheme?"

"Yeah. You've got a statue of me, you seem to know things about my life, and now you want me to take on a gorilla. Seriously, what is going on here?"

"Can we leave the dramatic crap for later?" a raspy voice asked. Reggie and Jumpman turned to see an oily man in a trenchcoat and fedora reclining on a nearby garbage can and picking his teeth with a kunai. "That gorilla's got a captive, and I don't think he's gonna last too long. Meanwhile, you two are down here reenacting Doctor Who."

Reggie took a deep breath and let go of Jumpman's shoulders. "I'm sorry," he said. "My friend is up there and I've got to save him." He turned away from the plumber and ran for the structure. A few feet away from it, he ran facefirst into an invisible barrier that flashed white upon impact. He fell to the ground, his nose aching from the blow. Above him the gorilla glared at him, pounding his chest in mockery.

Reggie sat up to find Jumpman at his side. The plumber gave him a hand and helped him up.

"You okay, kid?" he asked.

"Yeah," Reggie said, shaking his head. "What was that?"

He reached out with his hand and his fingers touched an invisible wall that glowed white on contact.

"Sorry, kid," the man in the trenchcoat muttered. "Forgot to mention that the game has already started. Once the barrier's up, only characters from the game can pass through."

Reggie stared up at the ape above him, who was now waving Brawler's limp body around like a rag doll. He turned to Jumpman. "Mario," he said. "Please, help me."

Jumpman stared at him. "I-I can't, kid. I told you, I never took down any-"

"Please. My friend is up there. More than my friend. He's my brother. We were raised together. You have a brother, don't you? What if that was him up there?"

Jumpman stared at Reggie. He glanced up at the gorilla as it threw Brawler roughly back down onto the platform. He remained silent for a long time, watching the big ape. A serious look crept into his eyes. He looked at the ground and took a deep breath. "Okay, kid. I'll give it a try."

The plumber glanced up, staring through the invisible wall before him. He raised his arm, his fingers passing right through the barrier, white light circling his hand like a halo. He took a step forward, passing his whole arm through. He took another step, then another, and he passed through completely to the other side.

"And now it starts again," the man with the raspy voice said. Reggie turned to the man, only to find nobody there. He turned back to Jumpman. "Do it, Mario," he said. "You can do this."

Jumpman nodded back. He glanced up at the gorilla and got an angry glint in his eye. He charged for the lowest platform, boarding it with a flying jump, sidestepped the canister of oil positioned at the bottom. The gorilla above him started grabbing the barrels around him and throwing them down the crossbeams at him. Jumpman dashed across the beam and grabbed hold of the ladder that connected it to the beam above. He had almost climbed to the top when a barrel collided with him, slamming into his head and knocking him off the ladder. He sprawled onto the concrete below, a large purple bruise forming on his head.

"Gee," the raspy voice said, "seems he could use a little help." Reggie turned to see the man in the trenchcoat sitting on a control panel to his left.

"Who are you?" Reggie asked.

"I don't think that's the most prudent question to be asking at the moment, is it?" the man said. "Your friend's going for a second time. Want to watch?"

Reggie turned to see Jumpman pulling himself up onto the second level again, only for a barrel to come rolling down the beam toward him. Jumpman charged toward it and tried to jump over it but failed. The barrel slammed into his legs and knocked him facefirst into the beam. He slipped off the platform and landed on the concrete again.

"Gee," the man said. "If only you had some sort of device you could use to help him out. Nice gamepad you have there, by the way."

Reggie stared at the man, then down at the gamepad on his belt. He unhooked it and lifted it up. As he held it up to the construction site, the screen displayed the action in the form of the original game. The tiny sprite of Mario had just respawned at the bottom of the screen.

Reggie looked up at the man. "Are you saying I can control Mario with this?"

"That Mario?" the man asked, gesturing behind him. "Probably not. He has his own free will. Another Mario, perhaps?"

Reggie stared at the screen, watching Mario make another attempt at the construction site. He reached into his pocket and felt the tiny statuette of Mario held there. He pulled it out and stared at it.

"Yeah, that ought to do it," the man said.

Reggie looked up at the man. "What's your game?" he asked.

"Who? Me?" the man said. "I just love a good show, that's all."

Reggie stared at the amiibo in his hand. Whoever this man was, he didn't seem to be on their side. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like some sort of elaborate trap. He held up his screen to see Jumpman fail for the third time. There was no time anymore. Even if it was a trap, Jumpman and Brawler would both die if he didn't do something. He held up the gamepad and touched the bottom of the amiibo to the gamepad's reader.

Inside the game, Jumpman got to his feet again and stared up wearily at the gorilla high above him. To his left, a bright light appeared and a swirl of pixels started to form and take shape. Jumpman's eyes widened and he backed away from it.

The swirl became bipedal, two arms and two legs extending from its sides. The pixels condensed and solidified into a pair of white gloves, brown shoes, a red shirt, and a pair of blue overalls. A red hat appeared on the figure's head, the letter "M" printed on the front. The being sprouted brown curly hair, a black mustache, and bright serious blue eyes.

Jumpman's mouth fell open as he stared into the face of his exact double. "It's me," he said.

Jumpman's double stared back at him blankly. It glanced up at the gorilla above. It smiled and straightened its cap. "Let's-a Go!"


	8. Chapter 7

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Seven: The Marios

Jumpman's jaw fell as Mario leaped into the air high over his head and landed nimbly on the bottom platform.

"What the-," the plumber said.

"Mario," Reggie said through the force field. "That's a replica of you, the you I know. I created him with the figure I have of you. I'm controlling him, but your Player One. I need you to do this with me."

Jumpman stared at his duplicate in stunned disbelief for a few seconds before he responded. He glanced at Reggie, a look of mingled wonder and discomfort on his face. He looked away and glanced up at the gorilla high above. "Got it," he said without looking at the Mii.

Jumpman stepped back and leaped onto the beam behind his copy. Together the two Marios started moving forward across the beam. Another barrel came rushing down through the structure. "I'll deal with the barrels," Reggie said. "You keep moving."

As the barrel came near, Reggie made his Mario rush toward it and hit to the right and 'a.' Mario's fist lit up with fire and struck the barrel, knocking it off the beam. Reggie's Mario turned to see that Jumpman had already climbed the nearest ladder and was pulling himself onto the next beam. Reggie controlled Mario to jump up and onto the beam in front of Jumpman. Another barrel rumbled across the beam above them. Reggie hit the jump command and pressed up and 'b.' Mario's fist connected with the barrel and sent it flying.

Jumpman got to his feet, staring at his clone. "Whoa," he said. He glanced upward. "What's that?" he asked.

Reggie followed his gaze to see Donkey Kong pick up a small blue barrel and throw it straight down, into a large barrel of oil.

"It means you're going to have some more company soon," Reggie said. As he spoke, the oil in the can burst into flame. The flames grew higher and higher until a face appeared within them and a living fireball crawled out of the barrel and started oozing its way toward them.

"We've got to go, Mario," Reggie said.

He directed his Mario forward. "Right behind you," Jumpman said.

They dashed for the next ladder. A barrel came racing toward them. Reggie's Mario knocked it out of the air as both plumbers made their way onto the third beam. Every time Donkey Kong threw a barrel at them, Mario would take care of it while Jumpman raced on ahead. At last, Jumpman made it to the fourth beam then the fifth then the sixth and jumped onto the platform holding Brawler. He uneasily balled his hands into fists and tried to look intimidating.

The giant gorilla gazed at the scared plumber, a broad grin spreading across his face. "Level two," it said. The big ape wrapped its fist around Brawler's leg, flung the Mii over his shoulder, and started to climb higher.

"Hey, wait a minute," Jumpman shouted, climbing after him. Reggie sent his amiibo to follow him.

"Don't worry, Mario," Reggie said. "The game has four levels in total."

"Four levels?" Jumpman replied. "We still have three more of these?"

The ground started to rumble under Reggie's feet. He looked down to see the block of cement he was standing on rise from the ground, taking him and the control panel with it. The block kept flying up and up until it was twenty-five meters in the air, level with the start of the next section.

The new section was made up of five levels of yellow beams. The great ape Donkey Kong had already climbed to the top with his captive. Living fireballs crawled out of a flaming barrel in the center of the section.

"Let's do this, Mario," Reggie said. He directed his player forward, Jumpman following closely behind. They scaled two levels, Jumpman by ladder and the amiibo by jumping.

A fireball slid toward them. The duplicate Mario's fists lit up with flame and he tossed a fireball at it. The living fireball shuddered but kept moving. He punched and kicked at it, but in the end to no effect.

"Move, Mario," Reggie said. "I don't think we can beat this one."

Reggie pressed upward on his joystick, his amiibo leaping into the air. Jumpman turned and ran for the nearest ladder. He slipped and fell flat across the beam. The fireball crept quickly toward him.

Jumpman tried to crawl away from the fireball to no avail. His hands found a sledgehammer left by one of the crew. The plumber swung around and smacked the fireball with it, just as its heat was starting to singe his legs. The fireball went flying and exploded on impact with the force field.

Jumpman got to his feet, patting out the burning hems of his coveralls. He stared at the sledgehammer for a second with a stunned expression. He turned back to the ladder and gripped its iron rungs. He scaled the ladder quickly, holding onto the sledgehammer as he went. Together, he and his double scaled the rest of the distance to Donkey Kong.

Donkey Kong smirked at his twin foes as they stepped onto his level, ready to fight. Jumpman hefted his new sledgehammer. "You're halfway there," he said. He grabbed Brawler once again and ascended into the next level. Reggie felt the chunk of concrete under his feet rising with the ape.

The next section was much more unfinished than the previous sections. Several platforms and beams stood separate from each other, with ladders connecting them and rope lifts passing between them. Donkey Kong made it to the top of the section. He grabbed a jack from the top of a pile left there and threw it down at the two Marios.

"We're going to need some serious athletics here, Mario," Reggie said. "Hold on to my amiibo."

Jumpman glanced at Reggie, then up at the level above them. "Amiibo?" he asked.

"Your double," Reggie corrected. "Hold on to him."

Jumpman turned toward his copy, the very mirror image of himself but with powers he could never imagine. He took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around his own shoulders, clutching the sledgehammer in his hand. The duplicate Mario hefted himself and jumped into the air onto the next platform. With relative ease, the two Marios bounded across the level until they reached a point where they could climb to Donkey Kong's level. Jumpman let go of his copy and stood on his own. More and more jacks came flying down from above, the Marios taking cover under the beam above them for protection.

"Come on," Reggie said. "Let's hurry."

The twin plumbers climbed the next set of ladders, being careful to avoid any jacks that came their way.

Finally, they stepped onto the platform on which Donkey Kong stood. The great ape chuckled and picked up two jacks. "You're almost there," he said. He started tossing jack after jack at the plumbers. Mario and Jumpman raced through, Mario knocking jacks aside with his flaming fists as they came. Jumpman grabbed the ladder that led up to Brawler while Mario ran straight for Donkey Kong.

Mario's fist connected with the ape's gut. The gorilla simply smiled as the pixels of his stomach closed around Mario's hand. Donkey Kong wrapped his arms around the amiibo and began to squeeze. "It's been fun," he said. "But I think it's time we get back to the game the way it's supposed to be."

He squeezed one last time and the duplicate shattered into a thousand tiny pixels and dissipated into thin air. The gorilla jumped up and landed on the platform above him, between Jumpman and Brawler's latent body. Jumpman tried to look intimidating, brandishing his hammer, but it was hard to do so when facing down a gorilla several times his size.

"Let's rewrite some history, Mario," he said.


	9. Chapter 8

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Eight: The Reset

The ground fell out from under Reggie's feet. The Mii fell fifty meters, clinging to the console before him. The platform slammed into the ground, and Reggie lost his grip and bounced across the concrete.

"Reggie!"

Reggie got to his feet, shaking gravel from his sandy blonde hair. His side ached and his left arm didn't seem to want to work properly. To his surprise, Erin rushed to his side. Her jaw and right eye had turned a deep purple, and her forehead was caked in dried blood.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Me?" Reggie said. "What happened to you?"

"Long story," she said. "What's going on?"

Reggie pointed to the top of the construction site. "Brawler's up there," he said. "Mario's trying to rescue him."

"Mario?"

"Long story. I was helping him with this amiibo, but Donkey Kong killed it and I fell back down here."

Reggie held up his gamepad and struck his Mario amiibo to it again. Nothing happened. He tried a couple more times to no effect. "Come on," he said. He turned to Erin. "Try yours."

Erin looked uncomfortable. She held up her gamepad, a spider-web of cracks spread across her entire screen. Reggie's heart sank. He stared up at the top of the construction site. "Oh, no," he said.

* * *

Jumpman gripped his hammer, his legs shaking as he stared down the massive ape. Donkey Kong pounded his chest and swung at his opponent. Jumpman slammed his hammer into Donkey Kong's fist, sending a ripple of pixels up the ape's hairy arm. It didn't entirely slow the fist's momentum, however, and the fist slammed into the plumber's gut, knocking him back.

Jumpman stumbled and fell from the platform, landing hard on the platform beneath. Donkey Kong picked up Brawler by the leg and started to climb the nearby ladders.

Jumpman sat up and stared after the giant gorilla. Pain shot through his back and he let out a cry of anguish. He breathed heavily. He got to his feet, his knees wobbling. Something about all of this seemed so familiar somehow. Not as an actual memory, but as if his body had been through all this before. The metal of the beams, the barrels, the fireballs, the gorilla. It all had a visceral resonance with him that he couldn't quite place.

Jumpman staggered to the ladder and ascended.

Donkey Kong waited for him at the top of what would have been the highest point of the building, if the crew had ever gotten around to finishing the project. Several fireballs were now crawling around the entire section of the tower.

"Remember this, Mario?" Donkey Kong said. He chuckled to himself. "No, I imagine you wouldn't."

He picked up Brawler's limp form and waved him in the air. "If you want your Mii back, the game is simple. Defeat me in the same way you defeated me in the original game. That's the only way."

"How do I do that?" Jumpman shouted back.

"Figure it out. Eighties gamers did."

Jumpman shook his head and dashed for the nearest ladder. He grabbed the rungs and tried to climb, stashing his sledgehammer under his arm. He climbed up a few rungs and felt the hammer starting to slip. He raised his arm to reach for the next rung and found he couldn't without dropping the hammer. He let go with his other hand in order to grab the hammer, but doing so dislodged the hammer just enough that it slipped from his shoulder and fell to the platform below.

Jumpman breathed heavily. It was okay, he thought. He'd seen a few hammers on the way up here and he hoped there would be more above.

As expected, he found another hammer on the platform above. He reached for it just as a fireball started crawling toward him. He swung out and smacked the fireball with the hammer, sending it flying off the stage. He turned and grabbed the ladder, but again found that he couldn't climb without the ladder slipping from his hands. It almost seemed as though something was preventing him from taking the hammers up the ladders. Jumpman hung his head and placed the hammer back on the platform.

When he got to the next level, he found several fireballs coming for him, spawning from the barrel in the middle of the platform. Jumpman spotted the hammer nearby and grabbed it, swinging it into his oncoming foes and knocking several off the platform. He plowed his way through, taking out several fireballs. He stumbled briefly when a small yellow connector vanished as he stepped over it. He made his way to the barrel and tried to kick it over, but found it firmly planted to the steel beneath it.

Another fireball started to spawn from the barrel, causing Jumpman to backpedal. He glanced up at the great ape above him, figuring that was the only way to go. He placed the hammer at the foot of the ladder and started to climb. He pulled himself up onto Donkey Kong's level and faced the hairy beast.

"Oh, the straightforward approach, I see," Donkey Kong said. He rose up to his full height and bared his chest in challenge.

Jumpman glanced around. There were no hammers to be found. "Dang it!" he said. He closed his eyes and charged the gorilla, hoping beyond hope that this was the way to beat it.

Halfway to the ape, something caught his foot and he stumbled. Another of those yellow connectors had disappeared as soon as he touched it and his foot caught on the now open beam. Jumpman tried to steady himself, only for Donkey Kong's massive fist to catch him in the gut and knock him off the platform.

Jumpman reached out and caught the beam below. Living fireballs started to swarm toward his fingers. Jumpman aimed himself and dropped to the next platform down, landing hard on the steel and almost losing his balance. He managed to catch himself and scooped up the hammer he had left there, using it to smack another fireball away. He stepped forward, his foot crossing another yellow connector. This one vanished just like its brothers.

Jumpman stopped. He looked up to see that the three missing connectors had formed a straight line all the way up to the top. He glanced down to see a solid beam across on the bottom level. No connectors. He looked around and noticed another yellow connector on the other side of the beam he stood on.

"Maybe," Jumpman said to himself. He ran for the connector. A bright fireball dropped from the platform above, blocking his way. Jumpman lashed out with the hammer, smacking it away. He crossed the connector and it disappeared as well.

"Yes," he said. He raised his hammer in triumph only for it to start vanishing in his hand. "What the-"

In a matter of seconds, the hammer was gone. Jumpman stared at his empty hand for a second before remembering he had a job to do. He ran for the ladder and started to ascend. Deep inside his mind, something was starting to warm. Somehow, he remembered this. All of this. He now felt certain that the yellow connectors were the key. His empty placeholder of a mind was starting to fill. Tiny bits of data were starting to filter back in.

He pulled himself onto the next platform and grabbed the hammer there. He smacked away the two or three fireballs that came his way and crossed the connector. Like the others, this one disappeared as well. Jumpman quickly changed course, turning back and grasping the last ladder and climbing it in a matter of seconds.

Donkey Kong smiled at Jumpman as the plumber made it to his level. "My work here is done," he said. "Mario has been Reset."

Mario dashed across the platform. He planted his foot on the last yellow connector and it vanished. The platforms dropped out from beneath Mario and Donkey Kong. Mario grabbed hold of the nearby rungs of a ladder while the great ape plunged three levels, slamming into the steel beams hard enough to knock the pixels from its body and leaving behind an unconscious red-furred gorilla.

Mario pulled himself up higher on the ladder he clung to. The swarm of pixels formed a humanoid shape in the air beside him. "We shall meZet again, Mario."

The pixels scattered and disappeared into the open air. Mario glanced down before climbing the rest of the way up the ladder to where the unconscious Mii Brawler lay.


	10. Chapter 9

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Nine: The Escape

Reggie and Erin took a step back as the entire construction site began to rumble. "What's going on?" Erin asked.

"I don't know." Reggie turned to Izzy, only to find that the stranger had vanished again. "Where did-"

Reggie didn't have time to finish his question as the towering structure before him began to collapse. One by one, the beams, ladders, and connectors came apart and fell to the ground, shimmering and vanishing into thin air just before they struck the concrete.

Erin and Reggie looked at each other. "Brawler!" Erin said. "And Mario!"

The two Miis ran for the barrier surrounding the structure. Reggie swung his sword in an attempt to strike at the barrier, only for the blade to pass right through. A pair of laser blasts from Erin's gun arm flew by his ear and struck some of the collapsing metal.

"The barrier's gone," Reggie said.

Erin nodded. "Come on," she said. She fired at the ground and launched herself into the air. Reggie followed suit, swiping with his sword to give himself altitude. The two miis jumped and flipped their way up the structure as it continued to fall around them. They made it up to the seventy-fifth meter mark to find Mario clinging to a ladder at the top of the structure with Brawler draped over his shoulder.

"Mario!" Reggie shouted. "Jump!"

Mario glanced down at the Miis below him and grasped even tighter to the metal bars in his hand. Brawler's head lolled on his shoulder, occasional groans and mumbles escaping from his mouth.

"Jump, Mario!" Reggie shouted again. The two miis jumped up a little further, trying to get up to them. Falling debris and the constant shaking of the structure hindered their progress.

Mario swallowed and took a deep breath, steadying himself on the platform. His hand let go of the ladder. Hoisting Brawler further onto his back, he stared at the rapidly approaching ground below. He closed his eyes and leaped from the structure.

Reggie and Erin stared as Mario's small legs launched him much higher into the air than they had before. Mario's jump reached a similar height as that of the amiibo's jumps, arcing in a wide loop through the air. The plumber opened his eyes in surprise.

"Yeah, Mario!" Reggie said.

"Reggie, we've got to get off of this now," Erin said.

"Huh? Oh, right."

Reggie and Erin jumped from the platforms, launching themselves into the air to join Mario in his fall. Just before hitting the ground, Reggie shouted at Mario, "Punch up into the air!"

"What?" Mario said, confused.

"Just do it," he said. "It'll slow your fall."

Reggie slashed upward with his sword, Erin fired downward, and Mario punched up into the sky. Together, the three pulled off their upward aerial moves and landed softly on the concrete below. Behind and all around them, the entire construction site collapsed and vanished into nothing, leaving behind only an unconscious red gorilla.

Mario stared blankly at the empty lot around him. He let Brawler slide off his back and onto Reggie's waiting arm.

"Mario?" Reggie said. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Mario said blankly. "Um, oh, yeah, I'll be fine. I'll, uh, see you around."

Without another word, the plumber sauntered away and didn't look back.

* * *

Brawler took a deep breath as the restorative powers of the Heart Container washed over him. Erin sat beside him, the deep purple bruises on her face clearing up like magic.

"Man," Brawler complained. "Our first mission and I end up the damsel-in-distress."

"Don't worry about it, buddy," Reggie said while he and Chibi-Robo worked feverishly on Erin's broken gamepad. "It happens to the best of us."

"I know," Brawler muttered. "But I thought I was gonna be the hero here. I mean, my name's always listed first on all the wiki pages and websites, I'm the most generic looking, and I'm wearing red. Does that not say 'hero' to you? If this were Power Rangers, things would have been different."

"Someone's having delusions of grandeur," Erin said.

Brawler scowled at her. Erin stuck her tongue out at him. He stuck out his tongue in response.

Brawler leaned back in his seat and sighed. "Anyway," he said. "Thanks for helping save me, guys."

Reggie glanced up from the gamepad. He smiled slightly. "You should be thanking Mario. He did most of the work."

"Well, yeah, thanks to him too. So," Brawler chewed his lip, unsure of what to say. "What happens now?"

Reggie shrugged. "We keep looking for amiibos, I guess."

"What about Mario?" Erin asked. "What will happen to him?"

"I don't know." Reggie walked over to the console nearby and picked up the Mario amiibo off of it. He held it up and studied it. "Chibi, have you found out anything new about how to restore the amiibo's data back to Mario himself?"

"Not a thing, boss," the tiny robot said, looking up from his work. "I'm still looking though."

Reggie sat down beside his fellow Miis on their cushioned seat, turning the statuette over in his hands. Erin sat up to get a better look at it.

"Toward the end there, it seemed like Mario was starting to remember a little, didn't it?" she asked.

"Seemed that way," Reggie replied.

"So, what does that mean if he's remembering stuff and his memory's all stored in there?" Brawler asked.

Reggie shook his head. He had no answers.

Something knocked on the outside hatch above them. The three miis looked up in unison.

"Who's that?" Brawler asked.

"I'm not sure," Reggie said. "Chibi?"

"On it, boss." The little robot plugged himself into the console, activating the outer security cameras. Mario stood outside their hatch in his gray coveralls with his toolbelt fixed around his waist.

"Mario?" Reggie said. He grabbed the ladder, climbed up, and opened the hatch.

Mario grinned and held up a wrench. "Here to start my repairs," he said.

"You-you came back?" Reggie asked.

"Of course," Mario said. "You guys are paying me to do a job, so I'm here to do it."

"Um, okay. Come on in."

Reggie climbed back down the ladder, Mario following. The plumber stepped down onto the steel deck of the submarine and glanced around the bridge. "Hey, you two," he said, nodding at Erin and Brawler. "Nice to see you-a up and about. You must have a really good doctor."

He looked past them to Chibi-Robo still hard at work on the gamepad. "Hey, Chibi," he said.

"Hi, Mr. Jumpman," the robot said in response.

Mario took a deep breath and looked around the room one more time. "Anyway, time to get to work."

Reggie stared at him. He held up the tiny amiibo in his hand. "So, you're not bothered by all of the-"

Mario looked at the tiny statuette with an indecipherable expression. Finally he shrugged. "The way I see it," he said, "something big is going on around here, something I'm probably not going to want to ignore. And as far as I can tell, you guys are the good guys in this situation. So, if there's anything I can do to help, I want to be around to do it."

The three Mii Fighters stared at Mario. Slowly, a smile crept across Reggie's face. "Well, then," he said. "Welcome aboard, Mario."


	11. Chapter 10

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Ten: The Train

"Hrmm . . . Uh . . . Excuse me . . . Do you have a second?"

"Huh?" Villager asked.

Villager sat up in his seat on the train car he was riding in. A blue-furred cat in a sweater stood in the aisle beside him. "Could you help me out?" the cat said. "Is it . . . Let's see now . . . 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 18th, 2015?"

"What?" Villager rubbed his head. For some reason, what the cat said sounded familiar. He shook his head, trying to clear the fog from his brain. "That-that's right. I think."

"Say, thanks!" the cat said. "You're too kind!"

"Y-you're welcome," Villager replied.

"Really, you're a big help . . . Mya ha ha ha ha howr!"

Villager stared at the cat. "R-Rover?"

The cat gave him a funny look. "Sorry, have we met?"

Villager blinked several times. "Um, no, no, I don't think so."

The cat stared at him for a couple more seconds. "So, anyway, you mind if I sit here? I promise I won't fall asleep, tumble onto you, and start drooling on your shirt!"

Villager shook his head again. "Please," he said, gesturing to the seat across from him.

The cat nodded and hopped up onto the green cushioned seat. He glanced out the open window at the lush forest speeding past the train. After a few moments, he turned back to Villager. "Thanks again!" he said. "It sure is nice meeting friendly folk on the train . . . You aren't a psycho, right? Just kidding!"

Villager forced a smile. "Right," he said. He glanced out the window too. For some reason, the image of a talking fox with metal eyes and a splatter of red popped into his mind. He shook his head again, wondering where in the heck that came from. This image triggered another image of a girl with pale skin standing over him and telling him to breathe. Villager rubbed his temples, trying to figure out where these images were coming from and why his brain felt so fuzzy.

The cat didn't seem to notice Villager's frustration. "Say, by the way," he said, "what's your name?"

Villager glanced up. "Oh, um, Villager," he said.

The cat looked surprised. "Hrmm . . . Well . . . Hrmm . . . Villager . . . Now THAT is an odd name. Mya ha ha ha ha howr."

Villager rolled his eyes. He'd never heard that one before.

"Not that my opinion matters much," the cat said. "What matters is, do YOU like the name Villager."

Villager glanced out the window and back. "Isn't it cool?" The words felt odd in his mouth as if it were something he had felt compelled to say and not actually meant it.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the cat said, realizing his mistake. "Did I say it was odd? It's not odd! It's a great name for a boy! Really. It's, uh . . . It's a really great name. Mya ha ha ha ha howr."

"Y-you know it," Villager said. Again, his mouth felt like it was saying things on its own.

"By the way," the cat said, changing the subject, "if you don't mind me asking . . . Where are you headed?"

"Animal Crossing," Villager said. He felt a moment of relief. Maybe he'd imagined it before. Now he felt like he was speaking of his own fruition again.

"Animal Crossing?" the cat asked.

"That's right," Villager said.

"Hey! I know that place! Animal Crossing is one of my favorite vacation spots! So, what are you going to Animal Crossing for?"

"I'm moving," Villager said. He had to look down for a second. Was that right? He remembered waving goodbye to his mom and his sister Lassy before boarding the train, but that felt so long ago. Certainly not earlier that day.

"Hrmm . . . Moving huh?" the cat said. "I hate moving. Pack boxes, unpack boxes. It never ends. Say! Where's your new place?"

"Um, I'm not sure yet." Villager hopped off his seat and started to walk away.

"You're not sure-Hey, where you going?"

"Sorry," Villager said. "I've got to make a phone call. I'll be right back."

"Oh," the cat said. "Okay. Hurry back."

Villager hurried to the phone booth at the front of the train car only to find it occupied. Villager waited impatiently. A few seconds later, the person inside the booth hung up the phone and opened the door. _Finally,_ he thought. Villager squeezed his way past the person, looking up at her as he passed.

He froze.

Standing before him was a tall woman with pale white skin and dark gray hair. She wore a blue tank top and workout pants and her eyes were almost as pale as her face. She was the same girl from the image that had flashed in Villager's head just a few minutes ago.

The woman stared back at him with a look of equal surprise. "V-Villager?" she said.

Villager stared at her, unsure what to say. "D-do we know each other?" A name rolled around in his head, but Villager couldn't quite pin it down.

"I-," the woman's mouth moved, as if trying to find the words. "I don't know," she said. "I . . . don't think so."

The two continued to stare at each other. Eventually, Villager shook his head. "I-I should make my phone call."

"Right," she said, stepping out of the way. "It's all yours." She walked away quickly, rubbing her head.

Villager stepped into the booth and closed the door. He picked up the phone and dialed in his mother's home number, all the while thinking about the encounter he just had. The phone rang five times and then went to the answering machine. Villager hung up the receiver and tried again. Still, no answer. The image of the girl's face floated through his mind as he hung up once more.

"Jazz," he said, finally pinning the name down in his mind. Somehow, he felt absolutely certain that that was her name. He opened the door and spotted the girl sitting alone in the far corner of the train compartment reading a book. He stepped out of the booth and started to make his way toward her.

Halfway across the train car, something slammed into the side of the train, throwing Villager into the seat beside him. Jazz slammed up against her window, her book flying out of her hand. Rover the cat fell off of his seat and into the aisle.

"What happened?" the cat asked.

Villager sat up, shaking his head. "I don't know," he said.

Something slammed into the train once again, this time knocking it off of its tracks and sending it tumbling down the hill. Villager, Jazz, and the other passengers of the train car fell with the train as it spun end over end. After rolling three times, the train car came to a stop on its side.

Villager sat up, rubbing a sore spot on his shoulder where he had collided with the corner of a seat. Jazz lay on her back a few feet away, holding her hand over a goose egg.

"Are you alright?" Villager asked.

Jazz raised her hand and looked over at him. "Yeah," she said. She sat up with a groan. "You?"

Villager nodded. "What-"

Something slammed into the side of the car above them, large green animated claws piercing the wall. Through the windows, Villager could see a massive cartoon dragon flapping its wings and breathing fire into the sky. The dragon's claws clenched and the wall splintered and tore away from the rest of the train. Two figures appeared standing on the edge of the train. One jumped down and landed on the window between Villager and Jazz.

The figure looked around, his animated eyes sweeping over the dazed passengers scattered throughout the car. He pulled his cartoon sword from its hilt and pointed it at Villager's throat. "You check the next car, Daphne," the knight shouted up to his partner. "I've got this one."


	12. Chapter 11

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Eleven: The Daring

Brawler walked alone through the crowded New York facade, studying his gamepad intently.

"Stuck as Pauline," he muttered irritably to himself. "Lame."

He held up his gamepad to the crowd around him. A group of bright lights blinked somewhere nearby. "Okay," he said. "I think that means there are amiibos around. Now, I can find them, and make up for the whole Donkey Kong thing."

He lowered his gamepad and started running in the direction of the lights, muscling his way through the crowd. He bumped into a pair of musclebound guys and their girlfriend and skirted some short guy jogging with a trainer. A small brown dog ran past, almost tripping him. Brawler looked around and checked his gamepad again. The lights were closer now, and seemed to be approaching at rapid speed.

A few steps further, and a train track materialized several feet away. "Ah-ha!" Brawler said. "That must be it."

He ran to the edge of the track and looked down to see a train barreling toward him. He held up his gamepad to verify that, indeed, the glowing lights were coming from inside the train. "Yes!" he shouted, pumping his feet.

An ear-shattering screech filled the air. Brawler clamped his hands over his ears as several people around him gasped. A great animated dragon, straight out of a cartoon, spread its wings from the top of a skyscraper and launched itself straight at the passing train. The great beast slammed into the side of the train twice, knocking it from its track. The train rolled off the raised railway and crashed into the street below. The dragon landed on the downed train and dug its claws into the side.

"Looks like we've got some trouble here," Brawler said. He dug into his pocket and pulled out the amiibo for the bounty hunter Samus Aran.

* * *

The tall animated knight held his sword to Villager's throat.

"Nobody move," he shouted, squinting over his long nose. "All of you just stay down until we have what we came for. Understand?"

Villager stared up at the knight, trying very hard not to swallow. Something about this guy was familiar, as if from a video game or a movie he saw once. After a couple more seconds, the knight lifted his sword and stepped over Villager, checking between the seats and occasionally brandishing his sword at the passengers.

Jazz scooted silently over to Villager. "You okay?" she asked.

Villager nodded. "Yeah," he whispered. "What is going on?"

"Hey!" the knight shouted. "Cut that out over there!" He stomped over to Villager and Jazz and thrust his sword at Jazz's face. "Back to where you were."

Jazz stared at the animated point inches from her face. She nodded and scooted back a little.

"That's better," the knight said. He glanced around the cabin at the frightened passengers. "Has anyone here seen any amiibos around?"

Villager and Jazz looked at each other in confusion. Rover and the other passengers of the train seemed equally confused. "Come on," the knight said. "Amiibos. Tiny little statue things. Anybody?"

He pointed his sword at the seats near the far end of the car. "What about you two?"

A couple huddled behind the seats, covering their faces with their brown overcoats. They bodies were large and round and some yellow peeked out over the collar. They seemed to be clutching something between them. They didn't respond to the knight's question.

"Hey," the knight said, stepping over Villager and Jazz. "I'm talking to you."

He grabbed the closest one's collar and pulled him around. A bright yellow face with a wide mouth and big black eyes appeared. Behind him, his wife had similar features, but with a bow atop her head and a touch of lipstick on her upper lip. She cradled a small yellow baby in her arms. The man clutched tightly to a briefcase.

"Well, well," the knight said. "If it isn't Mr. and Mrs. Pac-Man. Been a long time since our days in the arcade together."

"I don't know what your talking about," the yellow ball said.

"Oh, come on, Packy. You can't fool old Dirk the Daring."

Pac-Man scoffed. "Dirk the Daring. I don't know who you are, but you certainly aren't him."

Dirk chuckled. "What's in the briefcase, old pal?"

He reached out a hand and grabbed the brown case. Pac-Man tried to hold onto it, but Dirk yanked it from his hand with a thrust of his muscled arm. The knight held up the case and started to fiddle with the latch. He popped the case open only to find it empty except for a few pixellated fruit.

Dirk's eyes narrowed as he scanned the contents of the case. He shifted the fruit from side to side, making sure nothing was hidden. He glanced up at Pac-Man and his family, all three of whom were grinning at him and holding large white orbs.

Dirk's cartoon eyes flew open wide. "Oh, no," he said.

The Pacs tossed the pellets into their mouths, causing Dirk's entire body to glow blue. The knight backed quickly away from the yellow creatures. Jazz reacted quickly, throwing her leg up, tripping him, and knocking him to the floor and sending the case full of fruit flying. Villager rolled and grabbed his arm, knocking his sword away. Dirk struggled against them, kicking Jazz in the face and punching Villager across the cheek.

The knight got to his feet and ran for it, leaving his sword behind. Villager and Jazz scooted out of the way as three yellow orbs with wide mouths blew past them, chomping after their prey. Villager got to his feet and helped up Jazz, who held her hand over a bloody nose.

"Seriously," Jazz said. "What is going on?"

Villager bent and picked up Dirk the Daring's sword. The cartoon nature of the blade made it rather awkward for him to hold onto. "The knight's looking for something," Villager said. "I think Pac-Man was hiding it or something."

Jazz kicked at a pixellated cherry. "It wasn't in the briefcase."

"Maybe they hid it somewhere else," Villager said. He edged back to the seat the Pac-family had been hiding behind. It looked like an ordinary seat to him. "I don't-," he said.

The wall on the far end of the train car lit up with bright blue energy. Villager's eyes widened. He grabbed Jazz's hand. "Everybody, look out!" He pulled Jazz behind the seat just as a blast of whitish-bluish energy demolished the wall between their train cars and the next. Villager and Jazz covered their heads as the blast fried the top of the seat. After a couple of seconds the blast dissipated, leaving the entire top half of the train car completely gone.

Villager and Jazz peeked up over the seat. Rover and the other passengers peeked out from the seats ahead of them. Pac-Man and his family rolled around inside the booth between the two cars, their eyes swirling lines. A tall being in high-tech armor with a gun arm stood at the epicenter of the blast, a young boy with black hair and a red shirt standing behind her. A charred skeleton in the ragged remains of Dirk the Daring's armor lay over the rough edge of the destroyed wall.

"Yeah! We got him!" the boy in the red shirt cheered.

Dirk the Daring's body quivered and broke apart into a thousand tiny pixels, disappearing into thin air. The armored figure raised its gun arm and stood to its full height. The boy in the red shirt whooped and jumped about. "Yes! I get to be the hero this time!"

A tall woman in sheer revealing clothing with long blond hair appeared behind the boy. She wrapped her arms around him and stuck a dagger to his throat.

"Are you sure about that?" she asked.


	13. Chapter 12

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Twelve: The Controllers

The sultry blonde woman held her knife to Brawler's throat.

"Now," she said, "You're going to deactivate that amiibo of yours and hand it over, nice and slow."

"And if I don't?" Brawler asked.

"I'm going to stab you, what do you think?"

"Well, I am a Smash Fighter, which means I'm kind of a big deal. I'm pretty sure I can hold my own against . . . ," he glanced down at his captor, "Um, Tomb Raider?"

The blonde woman scowled. "Tomb Raider?" she said. "Do I look like Lara Croft to you?"

"Well, um, . . . ," Brawler turned almost as red as his shirt, "You're both very . . . I mean, your clothes . . . Well, um, . . . You see, you've both got very big . . . You know . . . ."

The woman rolled her eyes. "Okay . . . when was the last time Lara Croft was blonde? Or a cartoon?"

Brawler thought for a second. "Are you Samus then?"

The woman growled. "No, you idiot. I'm Princess Daphne from _Dragon's Lair_. The same game Dirk was from."

"Dirk?"

"The guy you just . . . Look, do you have any smarter friends or teammates I can hold hostage?"

"No," Brawler said. "Sorry. I am pretty good at distracting people though."

Samus's cold steel cannon arm touched the back of Daphne's head and fired off a sphere of energy. The scantily clad princess flew up and over Brawler and collided with the jagged remains of the wall between the two train cars, slumping into a heap.

"Boo yah!" Brawler shouted. "Take that, Princess Phoebe."

The princess remained motionless for a second as the pixels that made up her body phased in and out. Soon, they solidified again and she got to her feet. "I told you," she said, ice in her voice. "My name is Daphne!"

* * *

Villager and Jazz pulled Pac-Man and Mrs. Pac-Man out of the booth and behind one of the nearby train seats. Mrs. Pac-Man held Baby Pac-Man tightly in her arms.

"What's going on?" Villager asked. "I thought Dirk the Daring and Princess Daphne were supposed to be the good guys."

"They are," Pac-Man said. "These are Amiibos."

"Amiibos?" Jazz asked.

Mrs. Pac-Man nodded while shushing her crying infant. "Little statues that we used to save everyone's data before the crash happened."

"Crash?" Villager asked. "You mean the train crash?"

"No," Pac-Man said. "The video game crash, like the one back in '83. Viruses and glitches swarmed the multiverse, deleting and resetting everything. We used the amiibos to backup all of our data and memory."

Villager and Jazz looked at each other, confused.

"Look," Pac-Man said. "Have either of you felt fuzzy in the head recently, or felt like something was familiar but you couldn't put your finger on it?"

Villager nodded slowly, remembering his reaction to seeing Jazz's face. Jazz nodded as well.

"That's why," Pac-Man said. "The crash wiped your memory and reset both of you back to the beginning of your respective games."

"So why didn't it wipe out your memories?" Jazz asked.

"We're pretty simple folk, dear," Mrs. Pac-Man said, patting her hand. "We didn't have much memory to wipe out in the first place."

"And what about them?" Villager said, gesturing in the direction of the fight going on in the other train car.

"We built these gamepads that allow the memory stored in the amiibos to be used in combat. That red kid has one that's letting him control Samus right now, but the others must be controlled by someone else."

"We need to find the other controller," Pac-Man said. "Amiibos can only be defeated through the same means they die in their home games. But Princess Daphne's an NPC in her game."

"Which means she can't die," Jazz said.

"Exactly."

* * *

A pair of pixellized figures stood atop the nearby skyscraper, staring down at the wreckage of the train below them. Both held a gamepad in their hands.

"You've lost your player, Hack," the blue one said.

"I know, Slash," the red one replied. "I'm not worried about it. I've got the dragon following another lead."

The blue one, Slash, looked up from his controller and peeked over his partner's shoulder. The small screen in the center of the pad displayed a large cartoon dragon flying through the fake New York skyline. A small group of four colorful dots sped through the air some distance ahead of the dragon. "Those sped away from the train shortly after the crash," Hack said, "I have a feeling they've got what we're looking for."


	14. Chapter 13

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Thirteen: The Takeoff

"Chibi, how are our systems looking?"

The tiny robot looked up from the dashboard where he was plugged in. He held up his hand and gave a tiny mechanical thumbs-up. "Everything looks good up here, boss."

Reggie grinned and gripped the steering mechanism. He glanced through the periscope to see the banks of the fake Hudson River around the sub. He tapped the intercom next to him. "Erin, is Mario ready yet?"

"Not yet, Reg," Erin replied. "Just a couple more-"

Erin trailed off. Reggie could hear Mario's voice saying something, but he couldn't make it out.

"He thinks he's got it. Try it now."

Reggie switched on the flight controls and pumped the ignition. Several uneven waves of vibration roared through the craft as it started to raise out of the water. A loud puttering erupted from their back end and the engine died, sending them splashing back into the water and making waves on the neighboring shores.

A few brief Italian curses came across the intercom followed by a coarse "hang on."

After a few seconds of muffled tinkering sounds, Erin's voice said, "Now. Try it now."

Reggie tried again. The engine puttered and screeched for one agonizing moment before roaring to life and rocketing into the air. Reggie was thrown back and had to hold tight to the wheel for a few seconds. The ship veered sharply to the left for a second, ramming into a cardboard skyscraper and knocking it into the one behind it. Reggie pulled hard on the wheel to correct their course.

"Yes!" he said.

He could hear Erin and Mario cheering on the opposite end of the intercom. "We did it," Erin shouted.

Reggie steered the submarine in and out of a few of the surrounding buildings, real and fake, just to test how well it flew. With the exception of one tight turn, the ship sailed as smooth as Lon Lon Milk. "It's working," he shouted over the intercom. "How are we looking down there?"

A loud beeping started on Chibi-Robo's console at the front of the room. On the screen before him, a cluster of glowing dots appeared, coming toward them and growing fast.

"What in the world?" Reggie said. He glanced through his periscope to see what was going on. At first, he didn't see anything, but then four objects streaked past his view, orange, pink, red, then blue. Reggie pulled back in surprise. He glanced at Chibi-Robo's screen. It now displayed that the cluster of dots was behind them.

"What the-"

Before he could finish his sentence, something large and heavy slammed into the side of the submarine, knocking him to the floor. Reggie scrambled to get to his feet while the craft tilted sideways and loud scratching noises met their ears. Reggie got his arms around the wheel and peered through the periscope to see a large green dragon animated like something out of a Disney movie frantically clawing its way past its unexpected obstacle.

After a few seconds, the dragon pulled free of the sub and launched into the air, knocking it away. Reggie tried his best to correct, but it was too late. The sub slammed into the side of a very real building, shattering glass and crunching metal in the process. Reggie pulled and twisted on his controls desperately trying to break free. After a few aggravating moments of metal screeching and people screaming and running inside the building, Reggie finally managed to pull free and turn the ship around.

The door behind him slid open and Erin and Mario ran into the room. "What happened?" Erin asked, running to Reggie's side and grasping his shoulder.

"I don't know," Reggie said, breathing hard. "A dragon . . . Chasing something." He pointed straight ahead. "I have a feeling we should follow too."

* * *

Princess Daphne swiped at Samus with her dagger. Brawler fiddled with his controls, making Samus dodge to the side while firing off a blast of her arm cannon. Daphne took it in the shoulder, scattering her pixels momentarily before reassembling back together.

Behind them, Villager, Jazz, and the Pac-family watched the fight unfold. "How do we find the controllers?" Jazz asked.

"We need a plan," Pac-Man said. He peeked out and gestured at the controller in Brawler's hand. "See that gamepad. It's wired to detect amiibo signatures in the area, which means we might be able to use it to locate the _Dragon's Lair_ amiibos that created Dirk, Daphne, and the dragon."

"What about the amiibos on the train that they're looking for?" Villager asked. "Won't it just lead us right to them?"

"Don't worry about that," Pac-Man said. "We've got some friends handling it."

Villager and Jazz gave each other a look. "Okay," Jazz said. "So, what do we do about the princess and the player over there?" She jerked her head in the direction of the fight.

Mrs. Pac-Man glanced over the wall. She held up another pellet. "I've got one more," she said. "I can eat the princess. It won't defeat her, but it should reduce her to eyeballs for a short time. In that time, we talk to the Mii over there and get him to help us."

"Also, we might be able to follow her eyes back to base," Pac-Man said, "but that depends on if she's programmed like the ghosts in our game."

Mrs. Pac-Man took a deep breath. "Alright," she said, handing the baby in her arms over to her husband. "You three stay down and keep quiet for a second."

Pac-Man took the baby and patted his wife on the arm. "Good luck, Cyl," he said.

Mrs. Pac-Man quietly stepped over the burnt-out wall and crept up to the princess while her back was turned. About two or three feet away, she popped the pellet into her mouth and morphed into her giant form. Princess Daphne flashed blue, but before she could turn around, she disappeared inside Mrs. Pac-Man's mouth. A pair of small round cartoon eyeballs flew out and rolled around on the wall of the tipped train. They didn't seem to be going anywhere, simply settling in a corner and glaring up at Mrs. Pac-Man.

Samus dropped her weapon as Brawler stared at the giant yellow ball with a bow. "What the-," he said. "How many of these things are there?"

"Come on," Pac-Man said as he, Villager, and Jazz hopped over the wall.

Brawler's eyes went wide and he punched in the targeting controls for Samus. Samus raised her gun arm and prepared to fire at the newcomers. "Whoa!" Brawler shouted. "Just who are you guys supposed to be?"

Pac-Man, Villager, and Jazz slowed to a stop and raised their hands. "Take it easy, kid," Pac-Man said. "We're on your side. We need your gamepad."

"Uh-huh, sure," Brawler said. "I bet you're with those glitches too, aren't you?"

Pac-Man rolled his eyes while his wife reverted to her normal state. He glanced around for a second. "Alright," he said. "Look at this baby. If I was with the bad guys, would I have a baby in my arms?"

Brawler considered for a moment. "Maybe it's an evil baby."

"Right, sure. Okay, then, punch me. If my pixels scatter, I'm a bad guy. If they don't, I'm a good guy. Work for you?"

Brawler scratched at his chin. "But you're holding a baby," he said.

Pac-Man took a deep breath. "Okay. Punch him then." he gestured to Villager.

"What?" Villager asked. Brawler ran at him, raising his fist. Villager tried to block, but Brawler was too fast, striking him in the arm.

"Ow!" Villager shouted.

Brawler nodded, watching Villager's arm for signs of pixellization. "Alright," he said. "You guys are solid. What do you need?"


	15. Chapter 14

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Fourteen: The Chase

"Watch out!" Erin shouted.

Reggie swerved tightly, veering around the skyscraper as he pursued the giant animated dragon tearing its way through the skyline. Erin clung tightly to her station, Mario taking up Brawler's beside her. Chibi-Robo worked feverishly at the front console, doing his best to keep track of the bundle of amiibo signatures just ahead.

"Can't we shoot that dragon?" Reggie shouted.

"And risk hitting the buildings?" Mario asked. "The city's too dense around here and the dragon won't hold still long enough."

"Some of the buildings are fake."

"But a lot of them are real, Reggie," Erin said. She looked back and Reggie and they locked eyes. Reggie hung his head and sighed.

"Alright," he said. "Chibi," he shouted up to the front, "where's our amiibos."

"Still ahead of us, boss," Chibi shouted back. "I think they're circling around. And they're going down."

Reggie squinted at the screen directly in front of Chibi. The cluster of blinking lights was descending fast and circling around a nearby skyscraper.

"Were they hit?" Reggie asked.

"I don't think so, boss."

"Maybe they're trying to lose the dragon," Erin said.

"I don't think so," Mario said. "Look, they're heading for that building down there."

Reggie followed Mario's gaze to see that the lights were making a beeline straight for a flat square building almost hidden among the skyscrapers around it.

"Looks like it," Reggie said. "But the dragon doesn't seem to have figured that out yet."

"We better get down there, then," Erin said. "Beat him to it."

Reggie nodded. He steered the Deep Diver through the maze of buildings toward the amiibos' target. He curved around a thin flat cardboard cutout to see four differently colored blobs pass through the roof of the building. The amiibo signatures disappeared inside the building as well.

Reggie steered the Deep Diver onto an empty lot across the street from the building. "Come on," he said, grabbing his sword and gamepad. "Let's go."

Erin cocked her gun arm. "Right behind you."

"What about us?" Mario asked. Chibi-Robo hopped up onto his shoulder.

Reggie nodded. "Come on," he said. "We might have a slew of enemies to deal with in there, plus a dragon. We're going to need all the help we can get."

Together, the Mii Fighters, Mario, and Chibi-Robo climbed up through the hatch and out into the open air. High above them, the dragon roared in fury.

"Sounds like the big boy's found his prey," Erin muttered.

Reggie glanced up to see the great reptilian beast tucking its wings in for a dive. "Run!" he said. He and Erin jumped from the side of the submarine together, hitting the pavement below and taking off running. Mario and Chibi followed close behind. Halfway across the empty street, the sky flared orange above them as the dragon spewed a jet of fire from its mouth.

Reggie barely glanced up, barreling straight for the entrance to the flat building before him. The air heated up around him, the tips of his long blonde hair starting to singe. Reggie covered his face and dived through the entrance.

Cool air replaced the mounting heat outside. Reggie opened his eyes and looked up, thinking for a minute that he had just entered a nightclub. Everything was black, lit up only by bright blue neon lights. Energetic digital music filled his ears as tiny white pellets floated in the air around him.

Erin got to her feet beside him. "Are we where I think we are?"

"Pac-Man!" Mario said, standing up behind them. "I love this game!"

"So," a booming voice shouted from all around them. "You glitches dared to enter our domain, did you?"

Four booming laughs rang out. "You just made the biggest mistake of your lives," a different voice, this one feminine, said.

"Now, you're trapped within our game. You'll never get our amiibos," another shouted.

"Your only escape is to beat the four of us!" a fourth said.

"Take us on, if you dare!" the four voices rang out together. "YOU CANNOT BEAT US!"

"Yep," Reggie said. "We're in Pac-Man."

* * *

"Okay, let's see this thing," Pac-Man said, turning Brawler's gamepad over in his hands. He held it up to the sky and turned around with it. "How do you work this?"

Brawler glanced over Pac-Man's shoulder. "Just press B and Z at the same time while pressing over on the control stick," he said.

Pac-Man did, switching the gamepad into amiibo detection mode. "That's a weird button choice."

"Well," Brawler said. "That's not technically how you do it. I figured out that shortcut a couple days ago."

"And yet, you thought Eyeballs over there was Samus?" Pac-Man gestured to the pair of cartoon eyeballs Mrs. Pac-Man was currently stowing inside of a briefcase. "And that blowing up half a train car was the best way to deal with Dirk the Daring?"

Brawler looked down and bit his lip. "I'm not so good with faces, or strategies and stuff. I like video games better. I'm really good with a controller. I think I'm kinda like that Naruto guy. I learn better with my hands than my brain. So, you know, I expect I'll probably save the world someday before hooking up with a cute shy girl."

Pac-Man stared at Brawler for a second, as did Villager and Jazz. "Alrighty then," the yellow ball said slowly.

He shook his head and turned back to the gamepad. He held it up and turned in a wide circle. Nothing lit up on the screen. "Hmm," he said. "Nothing down here." He started to raise it toward the buildings surrounding the train. Halfway around the circle, a trio of faint lights lit up on the screen at the top of one of the nearby skyscrapers.

"There!" Pac-Man said.

Mrs. Pac-Man slammed the lid shut on Princess Daphne's eyes and hefted the briefcase. "Let's get going then," she said. She glanced at Villager and Jazz. "Would you two like to come with us?"

Villager and Jazz glanced at each other. A familiar thrill of adventure flared in Villager's amnesia-addled mind. "Let's do it," they said together.

* * *

Hack and Slash stood together atop the skyscraper. The screen on Slash's gamepad went black.

"We've lost visual on Princess Daphne," Slash said.

"I think we have bigger problems than that," Hack said, pointing at the wreck below. Five figures were climbing out of the train car and running straight at their building.

The red and blue pixellized figures looked at each other. "Time to play a game?" Hack asked.

"Of course, my brother," Slash replied. "It has been far too long."


	16. Chapter 15

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Fifteen: The Maze

Erin tapped the base of the amiibo to her gamepad. Light projected from the top the pad, swirling in the air and forming into a humanoid shape. The image took on detail, and in seconds, the form of Jazz the Wii Fit Trainer stood before her eyes.

Erin let out a disappointed sigh. "I guess Chibi hadn't quite finished fixing it yet," she said.

She and Mario stared at the duplicate before them. In all appearances, she was the exact recreation of Jazz, but all of her colors were inverted, making her look like some form of demonic being with pitch black skin, white hair, and an orange tank top.

"She'll still . . . run . . . just fine, right?" Mario asked.

"I'm sure," Erin said. "Let's go."

Together the Mii Fighter, the plumber, and the color-swapped fitness instructor ran down the long black neon-lit corridor. As they ran, Erin flipped through her gamepad. "Okay," she said. "First thing we need to do is find a big pellet. If we do that, then we can handle the ghosts."

"And pick up the little pellets along the way, right?" Mario said. "If these are those glitch things again, we have to beat them the way they're beaten in-game."

"Exactly." Erin studied her map of the original Pac-Man maze. "The next pellet will be around this way," she said, pointing left as they came to the corner. The three heroes turned around the corner to find a bright orange blob heading straight for them.

The blob grinned at them. "So there you are," the blob said.

"Nope," Erin said. She, Mario, and Jazz turned on their heels and ran back the way they came. The orange ghost sped after them.

"Now what?" Mario asked.

"We can loop back around on the first right turn," Erin said, studying her map.

The trio reached the first opening in the maze and turned into it. The orange ghost was still right on their heels. They turned left, then came to a crossroads. "Right," Erin said. They turned right into another crossroads. A blue ghost was approaching rapidly from their left.

"Right again."

The trio ran right, but the pause gave the orange ghost behind them enough gain that he was now less than an inch from Erin's back. Erin ran as quickly as she could, but she knew she still had three more turns before she could reach the big pellet.

The orange ghost slammed into amiibo-Jazz, scattering her into pixels. Erin and Mario slid around the turn, Erin losing her footing and crashing to the floor. Mario turned back to help her up just as the orange and blue ghosts bore down on her.

Erin braced herself for the blow only for the ghosts to flash dark blue and alarms to start blaring overhead. The ghosts' menacing faces turned into looks of fear and they sped away in the opposite direction.

Erin breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you, Reggie," she said.

* * *

On the opposite end of the maze, Reggie, Chibi-Robo and their amiibo duplicate of Villager huddled in a corner facing the pink ghost that had just turned blue before their eyes.

"We did it, boss!" Chibi said.

Reggie nodded. "Do we have to eat her or can we just attack her?"

The formerly pink ghost apparently didn't want to find out and sped away in the opposite direction. Reggie pulled his sword from his hilt. "Let's find out." He chased after her, Villager by his side and Chibi clinging to his shoulder. He quickly caught up to her, swinging his sword. The silvery blade passed harmlessly through her body.

"Dang it!" he said. "My mouth's not that big, though."

He glanced at Villager. "Wait a minute." The Mii Fighter stopped and raised his gamepad. He took control of Villager and sent him after the fleeing ghost. Another ghost sped around the corner toward his companion and together the two tried to escape. Villager caught up to them, and Reggie quickly pressed down and B. Villager snagged one of the ghosts and stuffed it into his pants pocket. A pair of eyeballs flew out and sped away. Reggie let them go and sent Villager after the second ghost, repeating the process.

Reggie took a deep breath. "Great job, Villager," he said. He and Chibi-Robo caught up to the amiibo. "Now," he said. "Let's hurry and collect the rest of the pellets before they respawn."

* * *

Erin and Mario hurried down the corridor. Pellets hung in the air every foot or so, disappearing as soon as they came into contact with either Erin or Mario's body. They turned a corner and hurried up the next stretch.

"Hurry," Mario said. "I'm pretty sure the ghosts will have respawned by now."

"I know," Erin said. She tapped her Wii Fit Trainer amiibo to her gamepad but it still refused to respond. "There should be a big pellet at that corner up there."

She and Mario dashed for the end of the corridor. They were almost there. Just a little bit further.

A swath of bright red filled their vision as the red ghost appeared from around the corner and blocked their path.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the red ghost said. "Did I get in your way, glitches?"

"Look, um, Inky, I think," Mario started.

"Inky?" the ghost said. "I'm Blinky."

"Whatever. We're not glitches."

"Oh, sure. So why are you after our amiibos, huh?"

"We're survivors of the crash," Erin said. "We're trying to reupload everything. He's Mario. Don't you recognize him?"

"Sure, I do," Blinky said. "I recognized Dirk the Daring too. Sorry, but you're not going to trick me that easily."

"Dirk the Daring?"

"Get 'em, Pinky!" the red ghost shouted. Erin and Mario turned around to see the pink ghost speeding toward them from the other direction. They were trapped.

The shrieking sound of tearing metal filled the room. Bright blinding light filled the maze as sunshine poured in through a hole in the roof. The ghosts stopped in their tracks and stared up at the sky. The animated green dragon appeared in the hole and let out an earsplitting roar.

"Now, that's your glitch right there," Mario said.

The dragon opened its mouth and spewed a stream of fire into the maze below. Bright orange light appeared at the end of the passage behind Pinky.

"Watch out!" Erin said. She grabbed Mario's arm, and they and the ghosts ran the other direction, only to find orange light growing from the other direction.

"Oh, no," she said.

* * *

Reggie, Villager, and Chibi stood almost beneath the dragon, staring up at its fiery maw. Fire welled up in its throat, building into an inferno just waiting to be set loose. The air heated up around them, making Reggie's hair stand on end. With a deafening blast, the fire shot from the dragon's mouth, filling the air with deadly fire.


	17. Chapter 16

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Sixteen: The Dragons

Villager, Jazz, Brawler, and the Pac-family ran inside the building.

"Whoa," Pac-Man said, coming to a halt.

An upbeat song filled their ears as the team looked around the world they had just stepped into. They stood in a large square room with a series of platforms hanging in the air, forming a vertical maze of sorts. The surface of the walls and floors made it feel more like a cave than a building.

"Hey," Villager said, "I know this game. We're in—"

Giant bubbles of clear liquid wrapped themselves around the six heroes, cutting off Villager's words. The bubbles lifted into the air and rose upward at a rapid pace. Floor after floor sped past and soon they found themselves at the top of the building, facing two pixellized figures of red and blue.

"Well, Hack," the blue one said. "Look what we have here."

"A few heroes who think they've got what it takes to stand up to a pair of glitches," the red one replied. "I wonder if they'd like to play a game with us."

The red one raised his hand and snapped his fingers, releasing the team from their bubble prisons. Villager smacked into the floor hard, Jazz right beside him. Brawler slammed into his back, while the Pac-family bounced a couple of times around them.

The red glitch stepped up to them. "You recognize this game, I hope?"

Pac-Man got to his feet. "Bubble Bobble," he said.

"So, what?" Brawler asked. "Are we supposed to play the dragons? Cause I can't make bubbles."

On the contrary," the blue glitch said. He stepped forward and held out an arm. The pixels that made up his body began to shift and change. His hazy, amorphous limb solidified into a red scaly reptilian claw. The change spread rapidly, blue scales covering his head and torso, finally ending at a short blue tail. His comrade changed as well, becoming nearly identical but with a shimmering green hide instead of blue.

"We'll be the dragons."

The green dragon opened his mouth, firing a bubble and enveloping Pac-Man in it.

"Better run," the green dragon shouted as the blue dragon attacked the bubble, popping it and making Pac-Man disappear, leaving behind nothing but a bundle of grapes.

Villager stumbled to get to his feet when he felt Jazz's hand wrap around his arm and pull him all the way up. The two ran, followed by Brawler, Mrs. Pac-Man, and Pac-Man Jr. The dragons gave chase, firing bubbles after them. They ran to the edge of the platform and jumped down to the next level.

"What do we do?" Villager asked.

"We're the enemies," Mrs. Pac-Man said. "I'm pretty sure all we have to do is attack them and they'll lose a life."

"And how many lives do they have?" Jazz asked.

"Just two to start with."

Brawler sniffed. "Well then, this should be a pinch," he said. He turned around. "Let's take 'em—"

Brawler fell silent as he found himself swallowed up by a bubble. "Easy, huh?" the blue dragon said, jumping down onto the platform with his partner. "Hack, I am downright offended."

"I know, right?" his partner said. "Here I thought Slash and I were the masters of this game."

"You two," Mrs. Pac-Man said to Jazz and Villager. "Go that way. I'll go this way. Hurry."

Villager and Jazz nodded. Hand in hand, they jumped from the platform to the next one down. Mrs. Pac-Man ran in the opposite direction, clutching Pac-Man Jr. to her chin.

"What now?" Jazz asked. "You've played the game, right?"

"Yeah," Villager replied. "We need to set a trap for them. I wish there were more places to hide in here." He thought for a moment. "Okay, I've got it," he said. "You stand back against that wall. Hurry."

"What about you?" Jazz asked.

"Don't worry. Just be ready to strike."

Jazz hesitated a moment before nodding and stepping back against the wall just in time for the blue dragon to jump down from the level above. Villager reacted quickly, pulling a bundle of turnips from his pocket and throwing them at the dragon's head. The dragon spat out bubble after bubble, catching and trapping each turnip. Villager turned to run when another bubble struck him in the back, trapping him inside.

The dragon smiled and crouched to leap at the bubble. A long white leg came out of nowhere, striking him in the head and making him vanish in a puff of smoke.

"One down," Jazz said, straightening her tank top. She ran to Villager's bubble. "What now," she asked. "How do I get you out?"

Villager mouthed to her from inside the bubble, but she couldn't hear him. She reached out to touch the surface, but Villager waved his hands for her to stop. He held up his hands, in what she could only assume was a gesture for "don't touch it." He pointed upwards, and patted the top of his bubble.

Jazz raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand."

Villager shook his head and pointed at her, then at the top of his bubble. "I . . . should jump on top of your bubble?" she asked. Villager nodded.

"Okay," she said. She took a step back and jumped into the air, landing clumsily atop the bubble. She looked down to see Villager beaming up at her through the bubble wall. He gave her a thumbs-up.

Jazz took a second to steady herself on the bubble. "Okay," she said. "Now what?"

Villager maneuvered around inside his bubble, steering it to the right. They floated forward until they came to the ledge above them, then floated upward. Past the first level and on to the second level, where they found Mrs. Pac-Man facing the green dragon alone. The dragon fed on a tomato as Mrs. Pac-Man watched on.

"Let's get 'em," Jazz said. Villager drove the bubble forward, straight for the dragon. Jazz leaped off the bubble seconds before and tackled the dragon, slamming into him and making him disappear as well.

"Yes!" she shouted, cheering. Villager did a flip inside his bubble. Without either of them noticing, the blue dragon respawned right behind Mrs. Pac-Man and snared her inside a bubble.

Villager stopped, noticing the change. The blue dragon attacked the bubble, turning it into food. Villager tried to get Jazz's attention, but she couldn't hear him. A second later, she became trapped inside a bubble as well.

The skin of Villager's bubble became weak and he found himself falling to the floor, free at last. He sat up, watching as the dragon lunged at Jazz's bubble. A strange unnatural rage coursed through him, a rage he wasn't sure he'd ever felt before. He dug into his pockets and felt his fingers brush the head of his axe.


	18. Chapter 17

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Seventeen: The Ghosts

A fierce wall of flame spewed from the dragon's mouth.

Reggie had only seconds to think. He worked his fingers on the control pad frantically. Amiibo Villager responded in kind, placing himself directly under the flame and throwing out his hand to grab it. Reggie and Chibi ducked behind the amiibo as fire balled in his hand, creating a dome around them as fire spilled out on all sides and flooded the maze.

Sweat dripped down Reggie's face as the temperature rose. Villager shook with the effort of trying to catch the fire. His image blurred and started to break apart. Reggie guessed they only had mere seconds left.

"What do we do, Chibi?"

"Calculating, boss," Chibi replied.

The roar of the flames was deafening. Tongue of white hot heat started to lap at Reggie's back, making him cringe in agony. There was an audible shattering sound as Villager's hand broke into pixels and evaporated. The wall of fire fell toward them like a blanket of death.

The wall in front of them slid open, and a pair of ghostly orange arms grabbed Reggie by his collar and pulled him through. Flame and heat doused him for a moment before the door slid closed and his world went dark.

"Sorry about that," a voice said out of the gloom. Blue neon lights flickered on, illuminating the small square room Reggie now found himself inside. A smiling orange ghost hovered in front of him.

"Hi," it said in a friendly, feminine voice. "I'm Sue. You're cute."

"What?" Reggie said, shaking his head. He tried to stand up but his burned back screamed at him in response. "What is this place? Why did you save me?"

The orange ghost glanced through the wall they had come through, which Reggie could now see was slightly transparent when looked at straight on. Waves of flame still poured over their hiding place. The ghost turned back to face Reggie. "You know that spot in the middle of Pac-Man, where the ghosts go to regenerate. That's here."

"And why did you save me?" Reggie repeated.

"Well, since that dragon is a glitch, and it attacked you, I figured you're probably not a glitch. Plus, again, I think you're cute."

The ghost smiled and looked down. Reggie and Chibi looked at each other.

Just outside the room, two pairs of eyeballs appeared at the wall. "Oh, no," Sue said. She looked at Reggie. "Stick to the corners on this side. I'll try to let them in quick before the flames get us."

Reggie nodded and hugged the wall behind him. Chibi clung to his neck. Sue covered her face a moment before pressing a button to slide the wall open.

The breach only lasted a couple seconds, but that was more than enough for heat flood the room and make it hard to breathe. A second later, the wall slid closed again, cutting off the monstrous flames. Four eyes floated into the center of the room, ectoplasm forming around them and restoring their lost bodies. Soon, a blue ghost and a second orange ghost hovered between Reggie and Sue.

"Dang these glitches," the blue one said. "Dragons, Miis, even Mario. I sure hope Pac gets here soon."

"I know, right," the orange one said. He turned to Sue. "Thanks for letting us in, sis."

Sue blushed and rubbed the side of her head. "Heh, heh," she said. "Yeah, about that—"

The blue ghost finally noticed Reggie and Chibi crouching in the corner. "Hey! What are a couple of glitches doing in here!"

Reggie raised his hand timidly. "Hey," he said. "How's it going?"

Chibi beeped and waved his arm.

The two ghosts went into a frenzy, torn between charging Reggie and Chibi and taking up defensive positions around Sue.

"Sis, did you let this guy in here?" the orange one asked.

Sue looked at the floor. "Maybe."

"You let a glitch in?" the blue one asked. "How could you? You know how important those amiibos are. We trusted you to protect them."

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I just wanted to—"

Reggie slowly got to his feet, raising his sword to his left arm. The two male ghosts turned their attention back to him. "Hey, what do you think you're doing, glitch?" the blue ghost asked.

"I'm not a glitch," Reggie said slowly. "Look, I can prove it."

He carefully touched his sword tip to his forearm. He pressed in, the pain making him bite his lip. To his surprise, he realized that he couldn't feel the pain from his burns anymore. This room must have healed him, just like the ghosts. Reggie squinted as the tip pierced his flesh. A trickle of blood oozed from the wound and down his arm.

"There, see," he said, his breath short and labored. "If I was a glitch or an amiibo, that would be pixels, not blood."

The ghosts looked at each other, then back at Sue. "Well, if you're not a glitch, then who are you?" the orange one said.

"We're the Mii Fighters," Reggie said. "R.O.B. 01 created us. He gave us amiibos of our own and helped us escape the crash." He held up his Villager amiibo. "See," he said. "R.O.B. told us we had to collect all the amiibos in order to reboot the multiverse. Chibi-Robo here recorded his instructions to us."

Chibi nodded, still clinging to Reggie's neck. "It's true," he said.

The ghosts remained quiet, looking back and forth between each other, Sue, Reggie, and Chibi. Outside their box, the torrent of flame finally ceased. Reggie noticed that the wound on his arm had already healed, leaving behind only a trail of blood.

The blue and orange ghosts deliberated for a moment. "How many amiibos do you have?" the blue ghost asked.

"Twelve," Reggie replied. "The eight Smash founders, plus Peach, Marth, Villager, and the Wii Fit Trainer."

The blue and orange ghosts looked at each other again before glancing outside.

"Alright," the blue ghost said. "We'll trust you, for now. Blinky and Pinky are still out there. So are your friends. They could be in trouble. We'll go, since we can regenerate." He looked back at Sue. "Sue, show him the amiibos. Maybe that gamepad of his could put them to good use."

Sue nodded. "Okay, Inky."

The blue ghost pressed the button to open the wall, glanced out cautiously, then gave Reggie and Chibi warning looks before floating out into the maze.

"Be careful, bro," Sue said, patting her brother on the side before he followed his partner out.

"I will, sis," he said, kissing her on the forehead before leaving. The wall slid closed behind them, leaving Reggie, Chibi, and Sue alone.

"So, anyway," she said. "That was my family."

Reggie smiled slightly. "Nice bunch," he said. He watched them turn a corner and disappear into the maze. He thought of his own sister, out there in the maze with Mario, possibly hurt or dead. A green shadow filled the sky above them for a second. Rage coursed through him, imagining for a second what he would do to that dragon if Erin was hurt in any way.

"So, you're supposed to be guarding amiibos," he said, clearing his throat and trying to calm himself down.

Sue nodded. She floated down to the floor and pressed a panel in the center of the room. The panel lit up with neon blue light and rose out of the floor. A small brown suitcase rested inside a cubby hole built into the rising pillar. Sue reached inside and grabbed the case's handle, pulling it out and placing it on top of the pillar.

She went to undo the latches and looked up at Reggie suspiciously. "You promise you're not with the glitches?" she said.

Reggie nodded. "I promise."

"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. She flipped open the latches. "Please, don't betray us," she said, meeting his eyes, her own a bright shade of blue.

She threw the top of the case open and turned it around so that Reggie could see inside.

"Whoa," Reggie said.

Six amiibo figurines rested within the small brown briefcase, each one a Smash fighter Reggie had known in the tournament: Luigi, Diddy Kong, Princess Zelda, Captain Falcon, Pit, and Little Mac.


	19. Chapter 18

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Eighteen: The Pacs

A furious rage coursed through Villager's body. His skin turned a deep shade of red and suddenly all he could see was that blue dragon attacking Jazz's bubble. He grabbed the axe and pulled it from his pocket, charging the dragon and plunging the axe head into its chest. The dragon looked surprised for a moment before exploding into dust.

Villager tried to stop at that point, but the fiery bloodlust coursing through him was not satisfied yet. Manic energy gripped his body, forcing him to keep charging forward at insane speed. He left Jazz and her bubble far behind, jumping from the ledge down to the next ledge.

What was happening? Villager asked himself. He remembered playing Bubble Bobble years ago. He believed this was something called "Angry Mode," where the enemies became faster and deadlier if left inside of a bubble too long.

He heard Jazz cry out above him, but he couldn't keep his legs from moving. As he reached the end of the ledge, he saw the green dragon's head appear from above. Villager swung his axe, hoping the timing was right, just as the dragon fired a bubble at him.

The skin of the bubble wrapped around him, trapping him inside. The fire inside him went out instantly, leaving him tired and listless. Through bleary eyes he saw the dragon lunge after his bubble, claws extended.

Everything went black.

* * *

Minutes later, Villager felt himself reforming. His vision returned, blurry at first, but soon could make out the features of a new cave. Jazz appeared right next to him, followed by Brawler and the Pac-family.

"Had enough?" The green dragon said, hovering in the air before them. The blue dragon appeared in a hologram by his side.

"Have we had enough?" Pac-Man said. "By my count, you only have one life left."

"Oh, really," the green dragon said, touching down on the ground. "Then come and get me."

Brawler braced to attack but Mrs. Pac-Man held him back. "Not again," she said. "They probably have a plan."

"Yeah, but there's only one of them now, right?" he said.

"Come on," Pac-Man said. "Let's loop around and come up with a plan of our own." The group turned away only to find the blue dragon standing behind them, very much whole.

"There are perks to being in control of the game," he said, smiling and showing off a row of razor-sharp teeth.

Mrs. Pac-Man and her husband looked back and forth between the two dragons. She turned and handed off Baby Pac-Man to Villager. "You three stay back," she said.

The two yellow balls stepped forward, the one toward the green dragon, the other towards the blue. They stared down their opponents and charged them. The dragons fired off a volley of bubbles in response. Pac-Man jumped and dove around them, while his wife dodged them in stride. Villager, Jazz, and Brawler dropped to the floor, covering their heads.

Pac-Man and Mrs. Pac-Man dove at the dragons, mouths open wide. The dragons stopped firing and smiled as they disappeared inside.

Villager, Jazz, and Brawler uncovered their heads. They looked up to see Pac-Man and Mrs. Pac-Man standing alone, the dragons nowhere to be seen.

"Did you get them?" Villager asked, getting to his feet while cradling Baby Pac-Man.

Pac-Man grinned. "Yep," he said. "We—"

He stopped, gripping his stomach. Mrs. Pac-Man did the same.

"Run," Pac-Man groaned, looking Villager straight in the eye.

"What?"

"Run, now!"

As they watched, pixels started to erupt all over Pac-Man's body. "Run!" Villager said. He clutched Baby Pac-Man in his arms and ran past Pac-Man. Jazz and Brawler followed close behind.

He jumped from the platform to the ledge below. Up above, they could hear the familiar arcade sounds of Pac-Man chomping at the air.

"Now what?" Brawler asked.

"I don't know," Villager said. "If we beat them the way we beat them in the games, we should just be able to touch them, right?"

"It couldn't be that easy," Jazz said.

Villager glanced at Brawler's gamepad. "How many of those amiibo things do you have?"

"Just Samus and Marth. Why?"

Giant yellow pixelated orbs started to peek over the edge of the platform above them. Baby Pac-Man squirmed in Villager's arms.

"Activate them, hurry."

Brawler nodded, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the amiibos. He tapped both of their bases to the pad. Perfect recreations of the heroes appeared in the air before them.

"Now send them after the Pacs."

Brawler worked his controller, sending Samus one way and Marth another. They both struck at their intended targets only to be swallowed whole.

"Yeah, I don't think touching them is going to work this time. Run!"

Villager, Jazz, and Brawler jumped down from their ledge to the next platform and on to the ground floor.

"If we can't just touch them, then how are we supposed to defeat them?" Jazz asked.

"I don't know," Villager said. "In most games, they only die by being touched. Unless they've eaten a power pellet."

"Maybe they ate a power pellet?" Brawler suggested.

"But we're not turning blue," Villager said. "When they did it on the train, Dirk turned blue."

"Well, they had other games, didn't they?" Jazz asked. "Maybe they die differently in one of those."

Villager shook his head. "Pac-Land had drills and bulldozers and stuff. But I'm pretty sure we're not going to find those around here."

"Stumped yet?" Pac-Man said in the voice of the green dragon as he came around the edge of the platform.

Mrs. Pac-Man came around the other side, blocking off their exit. "Back up," Villager said. He and his companions jumped back up to the level they had just come from. Baby Pac-Man continued to squirm in his arms.

"Pe!" the baby said.

"Calm down, kid," Villager said. "We've got a situation here."

"PE!" the baby cried again, starting to get fussy. Villager could barely hold on to him as he climbed up to the next level. Jazz grabbed Villager by the arm and pulled him up.

"Do you need me to take him?" Jazz asked.

"I don't know what's wrong with him," Villager said.

"Well, it could be the fact that we're being chased by his parents," Brawler offered.

Villager handed Baby Pac-Man off to Jazz. As he did so, a bit of the blankets came loose, revealing a single power pellet.

Jazz and Villager stared at the pellet. "Do you think?" Jazz asked, glancing over her shoulder as the sound of the Pacs chomping came closer and closer.

"Only one way to find out," Villager said. He grabbed the pellet and jammed it into the baby's mouth.


	20. Chapter 19

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Nineteen: The Burn

Erin was burned. Badly.

She felt the flames die down and slowly opened her eyes, every inch of her body screaming in agony. Mario lay beside her, unconscious. He had burns over ninety percent of his body and his mustache still smoked. She reached out a hand toward him, cringing at the pain.

A shadow fell over them, drenching the maze in green light. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the dragon bearing down on them.

Its large green reptilian head wormed its way down into the corner where Erin and Mario lay. Four small eyeballs attacked the dragon, pelting it with their own bodies. The dragon didn't take any notice of them.

Erin felt hot breath against her back, making her agony all the more excruciating. The dragon's nose brushed her arm, its animated flesh sharp against her exposed flesh. She could hear it sniffing around, looking for something.

Mario groaned beside her. The dragon perked up, turning its attention to the injured plumber. It sniffed excitedly around Mario, as though it had just come upon a prize piece of meat. The dragon's tongue shot out of its mouth, wetting its upper lip.

Movement at the end of the corridor caught the attention of both Erin and the dragon. The blue and orange ghosts appeared around the corner.

The dragon growled loudly.

The ghosts stopped. They glanced at each other, then at the dragon, then at Erin and Mario, then at their eyeball companions. The dragon's eyes widened, fire building up in its mouth again.

The ghosts ran. The dragon roared and gave chase, clambering around the top of the maze, trying to catch them like a terrifying game of cat and mouse. It let loose a small burst of fire, torching a wall. Most of the chase became obscured from Erin's vision as it moved past her section of the maze. All she could hear were scattered roars and crashes.

Finally, the commotion ceased and the dragon came into view once again. It held the squirming ghosts in its talons. The dragon's evil eyes glared hungrily at its prizes, opening its jaws wide to devour them whole.

Bright arrows of light pierced the dragon's left eye, causing it to let out a roar of pain and drop the two ghosts. A winged figure in white swooped into view, firing more arrows into the dragon's neck and arms. If Erin wasn't mistaken, the figure looked a lot like the angel Pit.

Adding more to her confusion, a small brown monkey appeared on the dragon's neck, clawing its way up toward the head. The monkey wore a bright red shirt and had a matching cap upon its head.

"Diddy Kong?" Erin moaned.

"Over here!" Reggie's voice shouted.

Erin shifted her attention to the end of the corridor. Reggie appeared, his gamepad in his hands. The Smash Fighters Captain Falcon and Little Mac ran along behind him. Reggie ran to Erin's side and dropped to his knees. "Erin," he said, "Are you okay?"

Erin stared at him blearily. "Reggie?" she mumbled. "W-We don't have Captain Falcon," was the only thing she could think to say at the moment.

"Ssh," her brother said tenderly. He gingerly placed his hand on a sparingly burnt section of her shoulder. She groaned. "We're going to get you help, okay," he said. "This is going to hurt, but just for a second."

Reggie stood and backed up, nodding to Captain Falcon and Little Mac. The two fighters approached Erin and Mario, bending to pick them up. Shards of pain ripped through Erin's body as Captain Falcon scooped his arms under her and lifted her off the ground. A cry of anguish tore from her mouth.

"Sorry," Reggie said. "I promise, it's only for a little bit."

Little Mac stood up straight beside Captain Falcon, Mario hanging limply in his arms.

"Come on," Reggie said, "Let's go."

He turned and ran down the corridor, his amiibos following closely behind. As Captain Falcon ran, Erin bounced in his arms. A fresh wave of pain spawned with each step. Erin tried to hold her tongue, but she couldn't stop herself from groaning each time. She opened her eyes to see the four ghost eyeballs bouncing along beside them.

Reggie led them around one or two corners, stopping suddenly in front of a long flat wall. The battle with the dragon raged nearby. Erin could see the Princess Zelda throwing magical fireballs into the dragon's hide.

Reggie knocked on the wall, and to Erin's surprise, it slid open. Reggie stood to the side, ushering Captain Falcon and Little Mac inside with their injured cargo.

Inside, the room was pitch black. Captain Falcon laid Erin down on the floor, Little Mac placing Mario right beside her. Erin opened her eyes, seeing Reggie and an orange ghost looking over her. The two sets of eyeballs floated beside them, red and pink ectoplasm forming around them.

The severe burning across every inch of Erin's skin seemed to start to die away, replaced by an odd tingling sensation. Soon, she could move here fingers and toes without them screaming at her. She found herself able to move and lift her head, which she used to stare down at her burnt arm. Bright red burns spread all across the skin. As she watched, the burns turned pink, then white, then back to her normal skintone, all the while shrinking in size. In a matter of seconds, both of her arms were exactly as they had been before the fire, as if she had never been burned in the first place. After a few more seconds, Erin couldn't feel any burning at all.

Reggie extended his hand to her. "Feeling better?" he asked. Erin smiled, taking his hand and getting to her feet.

Mario groaned beside her. "Whoa, what happened?" he said, sitting up. "Last-a I remember, we were getting cooked by a dragon. How'd we end up here?"

"Long story," Reggie said.

"This is the restoration center," the orange ghost beside Reggie explained to them in a feminine voice. "This is where we ghosts go after we get eaten."

"Erin, Mario, this is Sue," Reggie explained. "The other ghosts placed her here to protect their amiibos." He held up a small statuette of a plumber just like Mario, but wearing green. "Sue, this is Erin and Mario."

"Hi," the ghost said. She leaned in to Reggie. "Girlfriend?" she whispered.

"Sister."

"Oh," the ghost said. She turned back to Erin with a friendly smile on her face. "Hi, nice to meet you both."

"Hi," Erin said, glancing between Reggie and the ghost and raising an eyebrow.

Mario was more focused on the statue in Reggie's hand. "Is that . . . my brother?" he asked.

Reggie looked at the trophy and nodded. "The Luigi amiibo," he said. He handed to tiny figure over to the plumber. Mario stared at it, turning it over in his hands.

The red ghost in the corner spoke up. "So, I guess we're to assume that you guys are on our side then?" he said.

"That's right," Reggie said, turning to him and his companion. "We were survivors of the crash. R.O.B. 01 gave us our own set of amiibos."

The red ghost nodded. "Alright then, any ideas on how to stop Big Green up there?"

Erin glanced up at the battle going on against the dragon outside. She was surprised to find she could see through the wall on this side. High above them, Zelda, Pit, and Diddy Kong had been joined by Little Mac and Captain Falcon as they continued to hound the giant scaly beast. Even the blue and orange ghosts were helping, zipping back and forth around the maze to keep the dragon's attention constantly distracted.

"Well," Erin said, "the glitch amiibos we've come across so far could only be defeated the way they were in-game. If this dragon is the one from _Dragon's Lair_ , then I would assume only a sword can kill it off."

All eyes in the room turned to the sword in Reggie's hand. "I guess that means I'm up," he said. "The amiibos here all seem a little short in the sword department, Link's back on the ship, and Brawler has Marth."

Erin nodded. "We'll cover you," she said, patting him on the shoulder.

Reggie hefted his sword and looked up at the fifty-foot dragon. "Let's do this," he said.


	21. Chapter 20

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Twenty: The Showdown

Villager popped the pellet into Baby Pac-Man's mouth. The tiny yellow ball began to rumble in his arms. Villager quickly placed the baby on the ground and backed away. Jazz and Brawler followed suit.

The blankets wrapped around the toddler fell away as he started to grow exponentially. Soon, Villager, Jazz, and Brawler were staring up at a six-foot yellow ball identical to his parents. On both sides of the ledge, the yellow pixelated tips of Pac-Man and Mrs. Pac-Man appeared, their mouths chomping in mechanical rhythm.

"Come on," Villager said, grabbing Jazz's hand. "Let's get out of the way."

He and Jazz turned and jumped to the next ledge, Brawler following close behind. They crouched and watched as Baby Pac-Man sped for his father. The two balls collided, pixels spraying from the elder. Baby Pac-Man bit at his father fiercely, working his jaw muscles over and around his opponent, until finally managing to swallow him whole. Pac-Man disappeared in a burst of pixels that evaporated into thin air. Two small figures popped from the baby's mouth.

Without missing a beat, the baby turned on its mother just as she was about to strike him from behind. The giant balls rammed into each other, bouncing off each other like enormous pinballs. They came at each other again and again. Baby Pac-Man tried to get his mouth around Mrs. Pac-Man, but she was too quick, deflecting him at every turn.

"We've gotta help him," Villager said.

Jazz thought for a moment. "Hang on, I've got something," she said. She reached into her pocket and removed a small green soccer ball.

"You have hammerspace pockets too?" Villager asked.

"Well, yeah. Doesn't everybody in this world?"

"Good point."

Jazz held the soccer ball over her head, peeking over the ledge to aim. She lobbed the ball, bouncing it off the platform below right at Mrs. Pac-Man's base. Mrs. Pac-Man's speeding bulk slipped on the ball, sending her into a tailspin into the wall beside her. Baby Pac-Man seized the opportunity and pounced, devouring his mother in one swift motion.

With a flash of light, Baby Pac-Man returned to his tiny stature, spitting out his mother and a blue pixellized figure.

"Alright," Brawler shouted. He jumped down to the level below and scooped up the baby in his arms. "Good job, baby. That was creepy but amazing."

The baby gurgled, clearly not pleased at his new carrier.

"I'll take that," Mrs. Pac-Man said, getting to her feet and taking her baby back from the Mii Fighter.

Villager and Jazz jumped down to join them as Pac-Man got to his feet as well. "So what do we do with them?" Villager asked.

The group looked at the red and blue pixellized figures standing at either end of the platform.

The red one threw his head back in arrogance. "You think you've beaten us?" he said. "Please, we have plenty more tricks up our sleeves."

"Not today, you don't," a digitized female voice said from above.

A pale green pixellized figure with a clearly feminine form jumped down from a higher platformer. "Izzy is not pleased with the two of you," she said. "You broke the rules of your game."

"Stay out of this, Reboot," the blue one said. "We're not playing by Izzy's stupid rules."

"Izzy wants the data, and you two have corrupted it. This game is worthless to us now. You are to return to base immediately."

The green figure spun, throwing two green neon sets of numbers at the twin glitches that wrapped around them and enveloped them in bright green light. In a flash, they were gone.

The green figure stood and faced the heroes. "We will meet again," she said. She spun once more and vanished.

* * *

The dragon opened its mouth and spewed a jet of flame, scattering the Pit amiibo into a cloud of pixels. It shook its head, trying desperately to throw off the Diddy Kong amiibo, who was now arm-deep in the giant reptile's cartoon nose.

Down below, Reggie, Erin, Mario, and the red and pink ghosts stepped out of the restoration center, Chibi-Robo clinging to Reggie's shoulder. Reggie tapped the Luigi amiibo to the gamepad, causing the green-clad plumber to materialize next to him.

Reggie stashed away his gamepad and hefted his sword. He looked back to see Sue just inside the door. "Keep them safe," he said.

Sue nodded, pressing a button and sliding the wall shut again. Reggie looked up at his enormous foe. "Erin," he said. "Help Zelda."

Erin nodded.

"Mario, you and Luigi get up front with Mac and Falcon."

Mario nodded, eyeing his virtual brother. "Okey-dokey."

"Blinky and Pinky, help the other ghosts. We want to keep this dragon as occupied as possible. Go!"

Reggie's allies fanned out across the maze, leaving Reggie and Chibi alone.

"Chibi," Reggie said, "pull me up all the information on the dragon battle from _Dragon's Lair._ "

"Sure thing, boss."

Reggie slipped away from the restoration center and ran down a side corridor, trying to work his way around behind the dragon. He hugged the wall to stay out of the monster's view.

"Bad news, boss," Chibi whispered in his ear.

"What is it?"

"It looks like Dirk the Daring had to use a magic sword to kill the dragon in the game. We don't have one of those."

Reggie held up his sword. "This thing can shoot laser beams. I think we're good. What else?"

Chibi processed his internal information for a moment. "Assuming your sword works, just stab him through the heart and he'll be good."

"Okay." Reggie peeked his head around a corner. The dragon's hulking form loomed above him. Diddy Kong was gone, but spells and energy blasts continued to bombard the beast. Reggie took a deep breath and charged out from around the corner, his sword held high. The massive tail swiped toward him and Reggie threw himself on top of it, speeding his way up the dragon's scaly back.

The giant beast turned its head, investigating the feeling running up its back to see Reggie and Chibi. It opened its maw and spewed a jet of flame. Reggie threw up his sword defensively, the steel absorbing most of the blast.

Reggie squinted through the flames, searching out the dragon's chest. Locating his target, Reggie flung his sword as soon as the fire let up. The iron blade tore straight through the dragon's hide, embedding itself in the middle of its ribcage. The dragon let out a roar of anguish. It fell backwards, throwing Reggie and Chibi off. Down below, Mario, Erin, and the amiibos scattered. The heap of green flesh hit the ground with a thud and exploded into a thousand tiny pixels.

The dragon was gone.


	22. Chapter 21

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Twenty-One: The Masters

White light filled the maze, surrounding Reggie, Erin, Chibi, and Mario and obscuring the world around them. On the opposite side of the city, Villager, Jazz, and Brawler were likewise enveloped by ever expanding light. After several seconds, the light cleared and the seven heroes found themselves standing on a pedestal in the middle of a dark void. Eight platforms encircled them, floating in midair.

"Where are we?" Erin asked.

"I don't know," Reggie said, looking around. His sword had vanished from his hand, as had Erin's gun.

Brawler's face lit up as he spotted his brother and sister. "Erin, Reggie! How did you guys get here? You should have seen it. I took down two glitches almost all on my own."

Villager and Jazz coughed next to him. "Sure you did," Villager mumbled.

"So, um," Mario said, clearing his throat, "Any ideas where we are, or how we all got here?"

Reggie looked at the tiny robot on his shoulder. "Chibi? Anything?"

The robot processed for a second, using his radar and memory to analyze the area. "I've got nothing, boss. My sensors can't get a grasp on this place."

One of the eight platforms lit up before them, revealing an orange-and-red symbol emblazoned on its surface. A bright yellow orb of light appeared over the platform, growing until it formed into a perfect sphere, arms and legs sprouting from its sides. Seconds later, Pac-Man stood before them.

"Welcome, heroes," the yellow orb said, "to the Hall of the Game Masters."

The heroes glanced at each other in confusion.

"Game Masters?" Villager spoke up. "Like Captain N?"

Pac-Man smiled and shook his head. "Not quite, I'm afraid. When the crash of '83 occurred, I and a number of other video game heroes of the time, including yourself, Mario," he gestured to the mustached plumber standing at Reggie's left hand, "formed a council of Game Masters, each of whom held the building blocks to reboot the video game multiverse should another crash occur. In the years following, our membership has shifted as new heroes surfaced in the world of gaming. I may be the only Master remaining of the original council."

Pac-Man spread his hands and an arcade booth appeared on the platform before him. A line of energy extended from the back of the booth and connected into the pedestal on which the heroes stood. "Namco-Bandai," a voice boomed through the darkness. "Reconnected."

Pac-Man stood back from the booth. Mrs. Pac-Man, Baby Pac-Man, and the five ghosts appeared in the air behind him. "The data for the Namco-Bandai universe has now been plugged back into the system. The memories and data of the characters contained within have been restored."

Images flashed through the darkness around the pedestal. Images of an older man with gray wingtips of hair beating up what looked like his son or grandson. A dark knight with a cursed sword trading blows with a pale mummy creature. A black-and-white dog creature traveling through a world of dreams. A man in a white suit and helmet digging around under the earth and fighting lizards and bubbles.

"Seven more masters remain," Pac-Man said. "Scattered throughout the multiverse, unaware of their destiny. To reboot the universe in its entirety, you must locate them and remind them of who they are."

The other platforms lit up around the circle, each revealing a unique emblem before going dark.

"Find them, heroes," Pac-Man said. "Find them and restore this world."

"Find them," Mrs. Pac-Man said. "And save us all."

"Find them," the ghosts said.

One by one, the pac-family and the ghosts faded into the darkness. "Good-bye, heroes," Pac-Man said. "We hope to see you again."

Good-bye," Mrs. Pac-Man said. Baby Pac-Man cooed and waved.

"Bye, Reggie," Sue said, waving her ghostly arm. Soon, they were all gone and the hall disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

Hack and Slash appeared in a flash of green light. All around them, an incomprehensible plane of varying shades of green stretched out all around them.

"Well, weVll, well," a stuttering, glitchy voice said. A white pixellized figure stepped out from behind a dark green shape that might have been a tree. "LookTs like yAou two havNDe caused qSuite a bit of trYouble, haven'KRt you?"

Hack crossed his arms. "Yeah, well, keep your nose out of it, Reset," he sneered. "We don't need you and your stVuttGering to tell us how to do our job."

Another flash of green light appeared to the left and Reboot appeared, her green form making her nearly invisible in her hazy surroundings. "You _should_ be concerned about what Izzy will do to you for disobeying him," she said.

"Please," Slash said. "We're not afraid of some creepy guy in a scarf. He's not even a glitch. Why should we take orders from him?"

"Because if you don't, you'll end up just like E.T. did." The four glitches started, glancing around at the sound of Izzy's raspy voice. Hack and Slash jumped back, finding him standing directly in between them.

"So," he said, chewing the kunai between his teeth, "you don't agree with my plans, do you?" He looked back and forth between the brothers. "Please, if you would, illuminate me on your reasoning."

Hack cleared his throat. He tried to maintain his composure, but his pixels were visibly shaking. "W-we think you're wasting our time by playing around with these miis. Every second you let them live, they have a chance of rebooting the universe and making everything we did for nothing."

Izzy scratched at his chin. "I see," he said. "Well, I suppose I fail to see your argument then, since that is exactly what I want them to do."

The two brothers stared at each other. "Excuse me?" Slash said. "You _want_ them to reboot the universe?"

"Of course," Izzy said. "What's the use of a defunct world with no programming, when we can have a fully functional world that has been reprogrammed to bend to our very will."

"Reprogrammed?" Hack asked.

"You will understand very soon," Izzy said, "as long as you follow my instructions."

He turned away from the twins to face his other two minions. "Reset, Reboot," he said. "If my calculations are correct, the third generation of gaming has now been activated. Get out there and gather as much data as you can."

Reset nodded. "Yes, MGHaster."

"Yes, master," Reboot said.

"And Reboot," Izzy said. "Feel free to take that set of amiibos you stole."

The green glitch's face shifted, as if into a smile. "Yes, master."


	23. Chapter 22

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Newcomers

The light cleared, and Reggie, Erin, Brawler, Mario, Villager, Jazz, and Chibi found themselves standing at the edge of the Hudson river, where the Deep Diver was now docked.

"So," Brawler said. "What now?"

A strong wind blew through the city around them. One by one, the cardboard skyscrapers around them began to fold up and slide into the ground. The real buildings became outlines of their former selves and disappeared. The cement sidewalk beneath their feet smoothed out, becoming white and insubstantial. Soon, the seven heroes stood in an empty plane of white, nothing around them for miles to see.

The sky began to darken, taking on a bright shade of blue. Ground formed underneath their feet, this time fresh soil, with green grass sprouting up all around. Features began to sprout up, such as large blocky staircases and bright green pipes. Large yellow squares appeared in the sky alongside heavy brown bricks. Golden coins the height of Villager popped up along the ground, spinning gently in the breeze.

A lake formed under the Deep Diver, the submarine bobbing gently on its surface. The heroes now stood on the banks, a pipe sticking out of the ground nearby. Reggie looked down into the water to see a white squid of some kind jet past.

"Where are we?" Mario asked.

"We're in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario," Reggie said. He turned to the plumber. "This is your game."

Mario raised an eyebrow. "My game?" Mario said. "I thought mine was the thing with the monkey."

"Oh, that was _Donkey Kong_ ," Brawler said. "This is _Super Mario Bros._ , it was like a spinoff or something. They made a movie out of it once."

Mario stared at Brawler. "What?" he asked.

"It's complicated," Reggie said, patting Mario on the shoulder. "Come on," he said, hefting the case of amiibos he had gotten from Sue. "Let's get these inside before we do anything else." His eyes scanned the group and rested on Villager and Jazz.

"Villager? Wii Fit Trainer?" he said. With everything that had been going on, with the game masters and amiibos and dragons, he had failed to really notice their presence until now. "What are you two doing here?"

Villager and Jazz looked at each other. "We were on a train with Brawler and Pac-Man," Villager tried to explain. "Pac-Man said there was a crash, that we'd lost our memories. We said we'd help out."

Reggie looked at Brawler. "Why were you on a train?"

"Oh, uh," Brawler said, straightening his red shirt. "I, uh, I tracked down some amiibos there. Got in a fight with some glitches. Totally saved the day."

Villager and Jazz gave him funny looks. "Right," Jazz said. "Anyway, we're still not quite sure what's going on around here. There was a crash, we lost our memories. We know that much. Something to do with glitches and game masters too?"

"We should explain all that once we get inside the sub," Erin said. "Come on."

* * *

"And that's everything?" Villager asked, spinning his own personal amiibo in his hand. He and Jazz sat together on the large couch in the middle of the Deep Diver's living quarters. Erin and Brawler sat in chairs opposite them and had just finished explaining the situation to them.

"Everything we know so far," Erin replied.

Villager and Jazz sat back in their seats, staring at their tiny replicas. Their eyes were wide, giving them a look of shellshock as if they couldn't quite wrap their heads around what they were hearing.

"So, we're really supposed to be these great warriors?" Jazz said, studying her tiny figurine's face.

"Oh, yeah," Brawler said. "You should have seen you guys in the last tournament. The whole place got invaded by these metal things, and you two totally finished off the big bad one. It was awesome."

Villager and Jazz looked at each other, their eyebrows raised. "So," Villager said. "Jazz and I did know each other, then?"

Erin nodded. "We didn't really know you guys that well, but you two always seemed to be together. I think you might have been a couple, but I'm not sure."

Villager and Jazz looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes. A slight pink appeared in Jazz's cheeks. Villager quickly looked away.

The door opened and Mario walked in, wiping his hands on a cloth. "A bit overwhelming, isn't it?" he asked the newcomers. "I'm still not totally sure I believe it myself. Apparently, I'm the greatest hero who ever lived or something like that."

He tossed the rag down on the table and picked up his own amiibo from the pile. "Anyway," he said, turning the figure over in his hand, "the engine's in working order. We can take off if we want to. Where's Blondie and the little robot at?"

"On the bridge," Brawler said, pointing at the ceiling. "I think they're checking those new miis or something."

Erin got to her feet. "I'll tell them," she said. She turned to Villager and Jazz, who were still looking at their amiibos in stunned silence. "You guys can make yourselves comfortable, if you want. Don't let Brawler give you two much trouble." She gave her brother a playful shove on the arm. Then she turned and left the room.

"Anyway," Brawler said. "Um, thanks for the help back there. You know, with the glitches."

Villager gave a half-hearted "sure" as he and Jazz continued to stare at themselves. Brawler bit his lip awkwardly before clearing his throat and standing. "I'm just going to play some video games, then," he said. "Mario, wanna try out some Mario Kart?"

Mario looked at him strangely. "I have a Kart now, too?"

Villager and Jazz remained silent.

* * *

Several miles away, a factory was busy manufacturing a special brand of robot. The robots had been designed with large square head and small bodies covered in thin, brightly colored armor specifically designed for handling and utilizing explosives on a battlefield.

A robot with plain white and blue armor switched on, his large dark eyes filling up most of his face. He sat up and looked around the factory, observing his brothers and sisters being put together on the nearby assembly line. An orb attached to an antenna atop his head lit up.

"Warning!" a mechanical voice sounded. "Intruder alert! Intruder alert!"

The robot jumped up from the table it had been laying on and grabbed a bomb from a crate nearby. He raised the bomb over his head and ran in the direction his internal sensor pointed him. Three of his fellow robots came to life around him, each one grabbing their own bomb and following him out.

Out of the factory room floor and down a long narrow corridor, the squad of machines marched, their explosive weaponry held at the ready. The orbs atop their heads continued to beep furiously. Finally, they came to the entrance of the facility and stopped.

The beeping continued, louder than ever, but the robots merely stared around in confusion. According to their sensors, the intruder should be in this vicinity.

A white blur dropped from the ceiling, landing in the middle of the team. The four robots turned in alarm and threw their bombs at the intruder before running for cover around the nearest corners. Seconds later, the bombs went off, the explosions ripping through the room in straight lines.

The robots waited three seconds longer before peeking around to find a white pixellized figure standing in the epicenter of the blasts, his pixels rippling from the blasts.

"Aw, touVgh luck, fellaGHRs," Reset said. "It seemDs you failEed your direcVtive."

The four robots stepped out from their hiding places. The white robot pointed at the intruder, his eyes narrowing at him.

"AnywRay, to busFKiness," Reset said. "I'm iGn need of Han army."

The glitch extended his arms, his pixels spreading through the room and swarming the four robots.


	24. Chapter 23

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Airships

Turbines spun into motion and rockets fired to life. The Deep Diver shot into the air, water from the lake flying everywhere. With a mighty thrust, the flying submarine shot forward, cruising quickly over the landscape of the Mushroom Kingdom.

Reggie stood at wheel, turning it gently, the green landscape and floating blocks zipping by on the viewscreen before him. Erin stood beside him, looking over their six new amiibos. Chibi-Robo worked the console at the front of the ship.

"That's eighteen," Erin said, placing Pit's amiibo back in the box. She grinned at her brother. "We sure owe that Sue girl big time."

Reggie kept his eyes locked on the screen, not looking at his sister. A little bit of pink appeared around his ears. "Oh, yeah," he said. "She was great."

"Just great, huh?" Erin said, elbowing Reggie in the side. "I saw her being all flirty."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Reggie said. He tried to keep Erin's arm away from his side.

Erin smirked. She left him alone for a few seconds and stared out the window. "So," she finally said. "Did you like her too?"

"Erin, please," Reggie said, turning red. "I'm trying to drive."

Erin chuckled at her brother. "Alright, alright," she said. "It's your business." She studied the readings on the nearby console. "So, where to?"

Reggie pointed to a large structure on the radar in the distance. "I'm hoping Peach's Castle is nearby. We landed in what looked like World 1 or World 2 from the original _Mario_ game so it shouldn't be too far."

"Hoping to jog Mario's memory some more?" Erin asked.

Reggie nodded. "It seems to me like the eight game masters are representative of various game developers. Mario is easily our best bet for Nintendo's game master."

Erin held up Link's amiibo. "What about Link?" she asked. "Or Samus? Or Pikachu?"

Reggie glanced at the amiibo. "If not Mario, I'd say Link is the most probable. But I'd like to try Mario first before we start looking for the Hero of Time."

Erin studied Link's tiny figurine for a second before putting him back in the bag. "So, it seems like we're moving forward in the history of gaming. New York was the second generation, now we're in the third."

Reggie nodded. "Yeah, I noticed that too."

"So, there might be a few other possible game masters hanging around at this point?"

"It's possible. Link and Samus came around in this era, plus Solid Snake and Simon Belmont from Konami, Alex Kidd from Sega, . . ."

"Mega Man?" Erin asked.

Reggie raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, him too."

"Oh," she said, fiddling with the controls on her gun arm. "That's good."

Reggie grinned. "And you gave me crap about Sue."

Erin didn't meet her brother's eyes, pretending to tighten a bolt. "I just admire his fighting style, that's all."

Reggie laughed.

Alarms blared throughout the bridge. "Boss," Chibi said. "We've got some trouble."

A number of shapes appeared on the radar. Through the viewscreen, small brown objects appeared in the sky in the distance. As the Deep Diver sped closer, they took on more detail, appearing to be some sort of flying pirate ship fleet.

"That's . . . Bowser's airships, right?" Erin said.

Reggie nodded, biting his lip. "Perhaps we're in _Super Mario Bros. 3_ , not _1_ ," he said.

Something struck the side of the sub, shaking the bridge. Another blast rocked the craft, and an airship appeared in the sky above them, its wooden hull shadowing the viewscreen.

Reggie struggled to maintain his grip on the steering mechanism. "Chibi!" he shouted. "Fire torpedoes!"

"Yes, boss," Chibi replied.

The tiny robot typed in a number of commands. A high-pitched whistling sound met their ears as two torpedoes launched from the sides of the sub, slowly jetting out in front of the viewscreen before rocketing up into the wooden ship above them. The ship's hull blew apart in an explosion of fire and splinters.

More airships appeared on the radar screen, completely surrounding the sub. The craft rocked back and forth as fire rained down on all sides. Erin tumbled across the floor, the bag of amiibos scattering all around her. Reggie planted his feet as best he could around the console, hanging onto the wheel for dear life. Chibi flopped around on the dashboard.

The door to the bridge slid open, and Brawler, Mario, Villager, and Jazz came stumbling in.

"What's going on?" Brawler shouted over the alarm.

"We may have ticked off a fleet of airships!" Reggie shouted, turning the wheel sharply in an effort to get into better firing range.

Erin scrambled to her feet. She looked over the amiibos around her, grabbing Samus, Fox, and Pit out of the bunch. "You all stay down here!" she shouted, running for the ladder up to the hatch. "Help Reggie!"

"Are you crazy?" Reggie shouted back. "You can't go up there!"

"We need firepower," Erin said, climbing the ladder. "I'm the best projectile user we have. You just focus on steering us out of this mess."

Erin climbed up through the shaft before Reggie could argue back. She forced open the hatch, allowing heavy winds to blast her in the face as she did so. She wrapped her elbow around the nearest rung and pulled out her gamepad. She tapped her three amiibos to the sensor in the corner. Samus, Pit, and Fox all materialized on the outside deck of the sub.

Erin stuck her head up out of the hatch, squinting through the wind to locate each of her nearest targets. "Fire!" she shouted to her amiibos.

The amiibos obeyed, adding a barrage of energy blasts, laser fire, and light arrows to the sub's own torpedoes. A Bullet Bill whizzed past Erin's head and she ducked back inside. The living bullet turned in midair and looped back around, aiming straight for Erin inside the hatch. Erin raised her gun and destroyed the Bill with an energy blast of her own.

Deciding not to draw any unnecessary fire to her friend down below, Erin pulled herself up out of the hatch and slammed the lid shut. She joined her amiibos on the deck and stood back to back with them.

Together, the four warriors fended off a nearly endless barrage of Bullet Bills from the surrounding airships while Reggie skillfully maneuvered the Deep Diver out of harm's way. One torpedo took down an airship to the left, while Samus sank a second airship to the right. Erin and Fox combined their fire to take down another, while Pit stuck a well-placed arrow in a fourth's rudder, sending it into a tailspin.

They were nearly out of harm's way when a Banzai Bill almost as big as the bridge slammed into the sub from below, knocking it on its side. Erin lost her footing and slid across the deck, just barely grabbing onto a hook along the side. Her amiibos were not so lucky and all three tumbled off the sub, disappearing into the dense forest below. Erin dangled from the hook, her feet waving several feet over the treetops.

"Erin!" Brawler's voice shouted from somewhere above. The hatch door flew open, and her brother's messy brown hair popped up over the top. Erin struggled to hold on, her fingers slipping. From behind Brawler, she saw a Bullet Bill heading straight for his head. Knowing what it would probably mean, she raised her gun arm anyway and fired at the Bill, destroying it. Her fingers slipped from the hook and she fell into the trees below.


	25. Chapter 24

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Capture

Brawler pulled the hatch closed and descended the ladder.

"Erin fell!" he shouted.

"What?" Reggie shouted back, turning to look at his brother.

"Erin fell! I lost her in the trees somewhere!"

"One of you take it," Reggie told Villager, Jazz, and Mario, taking his hands off the wheel. Jazz quickly grabbed it from him. He pulled his sword from its scabbard. "I'm going up there."

He grabbed the highest rung to climb the ladder. "Whoa, are you crazy?" Brawler said, pushing Reggie back. "It's a war zone up there." He stood in his brother's way.

"Get out of the way, Satoru," Reggie said.

"No, way, bro," Brawler replied. "You're not gonna do Erin any favors by getting yourself killed too."

"So, what? I'm just supposed to let her die. Turn this sub around!"

A blast from a Bullet Bill rocked the bridge. "Not sure I can do that right now," Jazz replied.

"I said turn it around!" Reggie grabbed for the wheel. Another blast sent them all reeling to the left. Reggie tried for the wheel again but Brawler grabbed his hands.

"Reggie! Calm down!" Brawler shouted. "I'm upset too, but we can't get ourselves killed worrying about Erin. We need get away from this fleet, hide the sub, and then we can come back and search for her. She had her gamepad, we should be able to track her."

Reggie stared at his little brother, breathing heavily, as Jazz beside him did her best to evade the airships above. Reggie hung his head. "You're right," he said. "We've got to get out of this mess first."

Brawler breathed and let go of Reggie's hands. Reggie turned his attention to the viewscreen at the front of the bridge. Airships were all around them, but the fleet was thinnest to the east. "Go that way," Reggie said, pointing out the way to Jazz. "Fly low."

Jazz nodded. "Got it," she said. She dipped and turned the sub, trying to avoid the Bullet Bills that flew her way. An airship loomed large before them, bearing down on the craft. Chibi fired off a pair of missiles that demolished half the hull while Jazz skimmed around the wreckage. Only two more airships left in their way and they'd be home free.

Another Bullet Bill detonated at the rear of the sub. The craft shook and started lilting to the left. A second explosion and the craft started to spin uncontrollably. "Engine damage, sounds like," Mario said. He clapped Villager on the shoulder. "Come help me, kid."

The two ran out of the room as Jazz did her best to regain control of the sub.

"I can't hold it," she said.

"Here, let me try," Reggie said. He took the wheel from her. He gripped the handles and felt the motion of the sub. He spun the wheel, turning with the craft instead of against it. He kept turning, trying to steer the craft back on course. A sputtering sound rippled through the craft and the roar of the engines died for a second. The sub hung in the air, dropping several feet toward the trees below. Reggie, Brawler, and Jazz held their breath for a moment as the engine hummed back to life and rocketed them into the sky once again.

"Did Mario do that?" Brawler asked.

"Let's hope so," Reggie said.

Reggie spun the ship, trying to get his bearings once again. Airships were all around, but he couldn't pinpoint the exit he'd been aiming for. The sub rocked as chains from a nearby airship pierced the hull. Reggie turned the wheel sharply to the left, trying to pull out of the chains, but more shot from other airships, trapping the sub firmly within the grasp of the Koopa army.

"What do we do now?" Jazz asked.

"Now, we get captured by Bowser," Reggie replied.

* * *

Several hours later, Erin regained consciousness.

Bright fluorescent lights filled her vision as she found herself in a sterile white laboratory. She sat up on the bed she had been placed on and rubbed her head. She stopped, staring at her right hand to find that her arm cannon had been removed. She panicked for a second before spotting it on a small table nearby.

Where am I? she thought to herself. She squinted for a second, trying to remember where she had been when she lost consciousness. She remembered hanging on to the side of the sub as a Bullet Bill shot straight for her brother's head. Then she remembered the sickening crunch as she struck the ground.

Erin groaned, rubbing her back before realizing that she felt no pain. She tossed the thin sheets aside and stood to discover that she was wearing nothing but a hospital gown. The door to the room opened and a pudgy older man with a fluffy white beard walked in, looking over some notes on a clipboard.

"Oh," he said, looking up. "I see you're awake." He smiled a gentle smile that made Erin think of Santa Claus.

"Who are you?" Erin said. "How did I get here?"

"Oh, well," the man said, "My son found you out in the woods a few hours ago. Seems you had a nasty fall. He brought you back here and I nursed you back to health. My name is Doctor Light."

Erin rubbed her head. That name sounded familiar. "Isn't that a Batman villain?" she asked.

Doctor Light chuckled, a twinkle in his eye. "Yes, technically. But that's not me. I'm—"

Erin remembered. "Doctor Light," she said. "From Mega Man. You're the scientist who created Mega Man."

Doctor Light looked surprised. "Mega Man?" he said. "I'm not sure I know that name. Do you mean my old robot Proto Man?"

"No, no," Erin said. "Um, I think you call him Rock or Rockman?"

The door opened. A young boy with messy brown hair and blue armor poked his head into the room. "Did you call for me, Doctor Light?"

He glanced at Erin. "Oh, hey, you're up," he said, smiling.

"M-Mega Man?" Erin stammered. She suddenly became very self-conscious about her hospital gown.

"No, we didn't call for you, Rock," Light said. "But it seems our guest knows our names somehow." He turned his attention back to Erin. "Have we met before, young lady?" he asked gently.

Erin flushed and ran her hand through her hair, trying to get her thoughts in order. "Not really," she said. "Well, kind of. It's a bit of a long story."

Doctor Light scratched his beard and sat forward curiously. "Care to tell us about it?"


	26. Chapter 25

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Invasion

"So, there was a crash after all. I thought some things felt familiar."

Erin sat at a small wooden table, sipping from a cup of hot chocolate. Doctor Light sat across from her, scratching at his beard, while Rock sat on her right, running his hand through his messy brown hair. Rock's sister Roll sat on Erin's other side, her blonde pigtails hanging behind her ears as she sipped a cup of oil.

Erin glanced sideways at Rock and bit her lip, trying to control the rising blush she could feel in her cheeks. Her chest fluttered with barely contained excitement and she kept finding herself straightening the orange shirt that Roll had retrieved for her. From the day she and her brothers were introduced to video games by R.O.B. 01, Mega Man had always been her favorite, and now here she was, sitting in his house, right at the same table.

She shook her head and tried to turn her attention back to Doctor Light. "That's right," she said. "My brothers and I were some of the only ones to survive the crash. R.O.B. 01 gave us the Deep Diver and Chibi-Robo, both of whom were programmed with codes to keep us together." She held up the gamepad and amiibos that Rock had found in the woods with her. "He also gave us these."

Doctor Light sat forward curiously and took the Samus amiibo, turning it over in his hand. "I see," he said. "This looks like the work of Professor Hector," he said.

Erin nodded. "We only have a few of them. We started with twelve, then we found six more. My brothers have the rest, wherever they are now."

Erin looked down, trying to mask the worry on her face. When she had left her brothers, they had been surrounded by enemy ships. She had no idea if they were alive or dead at this point.

"Hey," Rock touched her shoulder. Erin tensed at the contact and looked up into his bright blue eyes. They were more intense when expected. "They'll be okay," he said seriously. "I'm sure they will be."

Erin stuttered a half-hearted "thanks," her surprise mixing with her worry to make her voice squeak.

Doctor Light and Roll both had their eyes fixed on Rock, a degree of concern on both their faces. Doctor Light cleared his throat. "Yes, well, Rock didn't find any wreckage in the area, so your brothers either escaped or were captured. Either way, it seems your first order of business is to find and rejoin them."

He picked up the gamepad and switched it on. He fiddled around with it for a few seconds. "It appears this device can sense amiibos. I assume other gamepads as well?"

Erin nodded. "Yes, that's correct."

Doctor Light switched off the pad. He leaned forward and studied Erin's face. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Erin said, stretching her arms and back. "Those restores you gave me worked wonders. I'm ready to go any time I need to."

Doctor Light smiled. "Well, then, I guess there's not much point to keeping you here any longer. If your brothers have been captured, Bowser's castle is just a couple days' journey to the northeast of here."

Rock got to his feet. "I'm coming with you," he declared.

"Rock," Roll said, speaking up for the first time. She glared at him over her oil. "I really don't think you should. You still haven't gotten over what happened with . . . ," she lowered her voice to a mumble, "the others. I don't want slipping even further down this hole."

Rock stared at his sister for a second before turning and grabbing his helmet off the nearby counter. "I'll be fine, Roll," he said. "Her brothers are in trouble. I'm going to help her find them."

"Her brothers aren't ours, Rock," Roll said, getting to her feet. "Saving hers aren't going to bring ours back. It's not going to change what you had to do."

"Hey," Erin said, rising cautiously. "It's okay. I'm a pretty good fighter. I can handle myself."

"No, Rock's right," Light said, looking back and forth between his children. "You've got the entire Koopa Klan to contend with, plus these glitches you speak of. You're going to need some help." He got to his feet and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "I think you do need to go with her."

Roll looked at her father hopelessly. "Doctor Light, you can't be serious. I don't want to lose another—"

Doctor Light placed a hand on her shoulder as well. "Roll, your brother needs this. He'll be okay."

Roll's lip trembled, her eyes glistening. She turned and stormed out of the room, slamming a door further down the hall. Doctor Light watched her go and let out a shaky breath. He turned back to Erin. "She'll be okay," he said. "We've recently gone through some difficult times in our family."

He picked up the gamepad and amiibos and handed them both to her. "You two should both head out," he said. "I had a landspeeder, but it was . . . sabotaged by an old colleague of mine."

"That's okay," Erin said, taking the gamepad. "Thanks for all your help."

Doctor Light smiled. He patted his son on the shoulder. "Be careful out there," he said.

Rock nodded, not looking his father in the eye. He fixed his helmet on his head. "We will," he said. He stepped out and around the table and out through the front door without another word.

Doctor Light sighed. He extended his hand and shook Erin's. "Good luck," he said.

"Thank you," Erin said again. Something occurred to her. "Hey, um, we met Pac-Man recently and he told us we needed to find eight game masters. Rock, is he—?"

Doctor Light smiled a sad smile. "I believe so. Help him remember, if you can."

Erin nodded. She packed up her pad and amiibos, reattached her gun arm and headed out the door. Her stomach fluttered a bit as it set in that she was about to go on an adventure with Mega Man.

* * *

Heavy steel doors covered in spikes swung open, revealing a long, luxuriously furnished throne room lined with thick stone pillars. Heavy square blocks with angry sneering faces hung in the air at various points, their eyes closed as if asleep. Koopas in black spiky armor formed two lines along the center of the room, each one holding a spear. Piles of bones lay in each corner.

At the far end of the room, Bowser, king of the Koopas, sat crosslegged atop a golden spiked throne. The heavyset turtle beast grinned, baring his sharp teeth. His enormous green shell forced him to sit forward awkwardly, keeping him from completely reclining. His vibrant red hair stuck up over the green skin of his forehead. On either side of him, Koopas in helmets and wielding hammers held thick ropes binding a number of prisoners.

A clawed hand pressed into Reggie's back shoving him forward. Reggie stepped through the doorway, followed by Brawler, Mario, Villager, Jazz, and their captors. A Lakitu flew overhead on a cloud, holding Chibi-Robo in a bag at the end of his fishing line.

A squat Koopa with thick blue wings of hair sprouting from the top of his skull pushed his way through the prisoners and led them down the throne room toward Bowser. Reggie and his friends followed, occasionally being prodded in the back or by the soldiers along the side. The lead Koopa stopped a few feet from the steps leading up to the throne and fell to one knee.

"My father, lord, and king," the Koopa said. "My fleet encountered your sworn enemy Mario traveling with these companions in a strange flying machine. We believe they were going to use it to attack this castle and rescue the captives."

Bowser sat forward, a hungry smile upon his face. "Well done, Ludwig," he said. He stood and stepped forward with heavy, earth-shaking footsteps.

One of the captives to Bowser's right lurched forward. "Mario!" she cried. A young woman with long golden blonde hair and wearing a flowing pink dress and golden crown, there was no question in Reggie's mind as to her identity: Princess Peach.

On Bowser's left, a man nearly identical to Mario but taller and wearing green looked nervously at his captors. "Bro," he said, "What are you doing here? You were supposed to save the seven kings and get their wands first before facing Bowser."

Mario looked up at his brother in confusion. "Luigi?" he said. "What are you—"

Bowser's heavy yellow gut stepped in between the two plumbers. "So, Mario," the turtle said in a rumbling gravelly voice. "My old foe. I must say, I'm a little disappointed how easy it was to catch you this time. I'm starting to think those first few times you faced me were a fluke."

Mario stared up at Bowser, no recognition on his face. "I'm sorry, but I don't know . . . ," Mario stopped. He continued to stare at Bowser, a trickle of familiarity rising up through the cracks. "Bowser?" he said slowly. "I've fought you before. Seventeen . . . eighteen times . . . no, some of those were fakes, weren't they? I only fought you twice."

Bowser rolled his eyes. "Gee, somebody's good at pointing out the obvious. Is that supposed to throw me off or something?"

Mario blinked, as if he were trying to make sense of a confusing puzzle. He looked past Bowser at the captive princess. "Princess Toadstool?" he said. He looked at the Koopa who had introduced them. "And you're with the Koopalings . . . Kooky, right?"

Ludwig scowled and rolled his eyes. "Ludwig," he growled.

Reggie and Brawler glanced at each other with raised eyebrows.

"Enough," Bowser said. He wrapped his large scaly hand around Mario's throat and lifted him off the ground. "I've waited a long time for this, Mario. At long last, I have fulfilled the dreams of my father and my people. The Koopa Klan has risen from the shadows of the Mushroom Kingdom and taken their rightful place at the top. You and your new friends can do nothing to stop me."

An explosion rocked the castle. Bowser stumbled, releasing his grip on Mario's throat. The plumber collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. Another explosion hit, startling one of the Thwomps awake and sending it crashing into the marble below.

"What's going on out there!" Bowser roared.

The door swung open and a single Goomba came running into the throne room. "Lord Bowser! Lord Bowser! We're under attack."

Bowser glared down at Mario. "What is this? Is this supposed to be some kind of trick?" He looked up at the Goomba. "Who is it? Who's attacking us."

"An army of robots, sir. They're being led by—"

The Goomba was cut off as a pixellized white sword flew through the open doorway and stabbed straight through the Goomba's small body.

"They're bGHeing led by Ume," the white glitch Reset said, appearing in the doorway. His pixelated face contorted into a smile. "Hope I'm nBRot intruding."

"Guards!" Bowser shouted. "Get him."

The Koopa sentinels lining the room turned their spears on the intruder. Reset simply threw back his head and laughed. He stepped aside to let and army of square-headed robots file into the room. One after another, they all just kept coming until more than a hundred were lined up in the throne room and the corridor beyond.

The air around Reset rippled and he vanished, reappearing beside Villager and Jazz. "I have soIAme personal bMGusiness witAh these twRRo," he said. He snapped his fingers. "FiEnish themTT."

He slashed through the ropes binding Villager and Jazz. The air shimmered and the three were gone.

Bowser and his forces backed away from the army of Bombermen, taking their captives with them. The robots stood perfectly still, staring at their foes with blank indifference. With one solid movement, every Bomberman pulled a bomb out of thin air and raised it over their heads. The bombs' wicks ignited in unison.

* * *

Doctor Albert Wily's hands trembled as he replaced the breastplate after putting the finishing touches on his latest creation.

"Now," he said, stepping back and gazing in awe at the seven completed robots lined up in stasis tubes before him. "All I need is one more, and then I'll be ready to take my revenge on Doctor Light and that annoying blue robot. Hmm, I'm a little short on metal now. Perhaps I can put all that wood in my basement to good use."

"Actually, that won't be necessary," a female voice said from behind him.

Doctor Wily spun, his lab coat swishing through the air. A slender, green pixellized figure stood in his doorway, her arms folded across her chest. "Who are you?" he sneered. "How did you get into my laboratory?"

The green figure stepped nimbly toward the mad scientist. "That doesn't matter," she said, a sultry tone in her voice. "We have a common goal. You want to destroy Mega Man. I have an interest in the robot's destruction as well. I propose we join forces. Use each other to further our own ends."

Doctor Wily sniffed, ruffling his thick gray mustache. "Why would I need help from you? I've got all the strength I need right here." He gestured to his seven robots.

Reboot smiled, looking over the robot masters. "Yes, yes, your second attempt to defeat Mega Man. I have a spoiler alert for you. You lose. This time and many more times after that."

Wily scoffed. "What do you know? I am the greatest inventor in the history of the world. No one can stop me."

"I'm sure," Reboot said. "At the very least, it can't hurt to have a little assurance of that statement, can it?"

Wily scratched at his huge cleft chin. "And what exactly do you have to offer?"

Reboot produced a small green case and flipped it open to reveal eleven tiny amiibo figurines. Doctor Wily stared into the box, reaching inside and pulling out a tiny replica of Mega Man. "What is this?" he said.

"These figures will give you all the powers of these heroes right at your fingertips."

Doctor Wily's thick eyebrows raised. He stared at the Mega Man figure, then studied the other amiibos contained within. He reached in and picked up Bowser. He looked up at Reboot. "All of their power?" he said.

Reboot smiled. "Every last bit of it."

A greedy look glinted in Wily's eye. "Show me." He handed Bowser and Mega Man to her.

Reboot nodded and turned to the seven robot masters. She stepped up to the first, a red and gold armored robot with a buzz saw blade attached to his forehead. She tapped the Mega Man amiibo to the stasis pod's control pad. The robot inside began to shift and change, pixels swarming around and reshaping it. Soon, the robot had become a perfect replica of Mega Man himself.

Reboot moved down the line, tapping an amiibo to each of the pods. Air Man became Toon Link. Quick Man became Sonic. Flash Man, Crash Man, and Bubble Man each became Sheik, Ike, and King Dedede respectively. Finally, she tapped the last pod, transforming the newly finished Heat Man into Bowser. Reboot switched on her gamepad and tapped its screen. One by one, the copies opened their eyes and looked around.

Doctor Wily stared in awe at what had become of his creations. "Amazing," he said. He glanced at the amiibos still left in the box, consisting of Rosalina, Lucario, Shulk, and Meta Knight. "What about the others."

Reboot didn't respond, walking down the line and stopping at the pod containing Sonic. She raised her hand and touched the glass. "Don't worry," she said. "I have a special use for those."


	27. Chapter 26

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Adventure

Rock and Erin stood on the roof of Doctor Wily's laboratory, looking out over a sprawling city of iron and steel. Rock held his helmet under one arm.

He pointed north. "We'll head that way first," he said. "There's an air transit system at the far end of the city."

"Got it," Erin said, nodding. She finished looking over her arm cannon and closed the top panel. She took a deep breath and cocked the gun, looking over at Rock. The wind blew through his dark hair as he looked out into the distance. His eyes were serious and his face was set, as though some dark cloud was brewing inside of him. "Shall we go?" Erin asked.

Rock nodded. He raised his helmet and fixed it over his head. The lights atop it lit up. "Let's go!"

Together, Erin and Rock leapt from the rooftop onto an adjacent building of green and gold. "Careful," Rock said as they ran. "Doctor Light's old partner Doctor Wily set a whole bunch of booby traps around here when he . . . betrayed us. We haven't quite managed to dismantle them all yet."

The pair crossed to another building and entered into a long narrow corridor. About halfway through, Rock put out his hand to stop Erin. A thick red plate of spikes dropped from the ceiling on a chain barely a foot in front of them. The heroes waited a few seconds for it to retract back up to the ceiling.

"Go, hurry," Rock said.

Erin ran under the plate, Rock right behind her. Erin looked up, paying attention to the ceiling. Another plate hung a few feet further down the hall. She stopped just short of it, allowing it to fall as well.

"Doctor Wily," Erin said. "He helped create you, right?"

Rock nodded. He watched the plate as it slowly rose. "He and Doctor Light are two of the greatest roboticists this world has ever known. They joined forces and used their talents for the betterment of mankind. Now!"

Rock and Erin ran underneath the plate, stopping to let a third drop. "They created a number of machines and robots to help humanity in everyday life. Finally, they perfected their ultimate creations, the Robot Masters. Robots with full intelligence and agency, who could think and act for themselves. Robots designed to help humanity like no other machine before could."

The pair passed under the last plate and exited the corridor, jumping across a number of platforms. "Roll and I came first," Rock explained. "We weren't quite suited for combat or anything, being early prototypes, so Light and Wily just kept us around the lab as assistants."

Rock and Erin entered a new building. "Look out!" Rock said. Holes in the floor and ceiling opened up, and small screw-like objects came spinning out of them. The pair stepped around the screws, pointing their guns and taking out as many as possible while running to get to the other side.

"After that, Light and Wily perfected the utility functions of the Robot Masters, and they built my six brothers. Cut Man was made to help out in the lumber industry, with big blades that could cut right through a tree. Guts Man and Bomb Man were designed to help out in construction and demolition. Ice Man and Fire Man were both made to work in extreme temperatures, and Elec Man was created to supply electricity to our world."

Rock and Erin stepped out into a large factory room with a number of conveyor belts hanging in midair. Rock swallowed. His eyes looked wet, as if talking about his fellow Robot Masters were painful to him. He took a deep breath and pointed up. "Watch it," he said.

A panel in the ceiling opened up and a small impish robot jumped out, landing on a gear in the wall and knocking it loose, rolling it straight toward them. Rock stepped in front of Erin and raised his gun. He released two shots of blue energy, vaporizing the gear and sending the small robot falling to the factory floor far below.

"Come on," he said, hopping across onto a conveyor belt. Erin followed, almost losing her footing as the belt moved beneath her feet. She spread out her arms to regain her balance and followed Rock as well as she could.

"And then Doctor Wily betrayed you," she said, remembering the story. "He decided he wanted to use the Robot Masters for his own personal gain. He reprogrammed the other Robot Masters to do his bidding."

Another imp knocked another gear from the wall. This time, Erin took it out with her gun, shooting the imp off the gear first before destroying it. They hopped to another conveyor belt.

Rock looked back at Erin, a hard look on his face. He nodded. "Doctor Wily enslaved them. He twisted their minds and forced them into becoming his mindless puppets. He used them to destroy and to oppress."

"And then you had Doctor Light upgrade you and make you combat-ready. You became a hero in order to stop them."

Rock sniffed. "Hero," he said.

They crossed the factory and entered another long corridor. A pair of cylindrical pillars made up of four robotic blocks dropped from the ceiling. The second block from the top on each bore a pair of robotic eyes.

"Aim for the eye block," Rock said, pointing his gun at the one on the left. He and Erin fired in unison, scattering the blocks and leaving only the eye blocks remaining on the floor.

"Wait for it," Rock said.

As Erin watched, three more blocks rose from the floor, restoring the pillars to their full heights. "Now," Rock said.

They fired again. This time, the eye blocks exploded and their pillars scattered.

"Come on," Rock said.

The pair made their way down the corridor, across a set of large turbines, over a bunch of tiny bubble-shaped robots, and up to a closed security door. Rock pressed his hand against a pad on the side and the door slid open. Inside was a long straight hallway leading to another security door.

"The entrance to the air transit is just on the other side of this next room," Rock said. They crossed the hall and opened the door, revealing a room with a floor entirely made up of conveyor belts. A door stood open to another hallway on the other side.

"Come on," Rock said, jumping down to the conveyor belts. "Be careful."

Erin jumped down after him. Halfway across the room, the door slid closed, sealing them inside.

"Well, hello there, heroes," a female voice said. One of the walls shimmered and a green pixellized figure stepped away from it. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced," she said. "My name is Reboot, high advisor to the glitch army. And you two I believe are named Rock, also known as Mega Man, and the Mii Gunner. Erin, is it?"

Erin and Rock raised their guns. "What do you want?" Erin said.

The glitch threw back her head, a pixellized ponytail swishing back and forth. "Me? I just want to play a little game, that's all."

Rock cocked his gun arm. "What kind of game?"

"Well," Reboot said, "Since you seem to have already completed the first level, how about a little _Mega Man 2_? I've even got your first boss ready to go for you."

The glitch snapped her finger. A bright blue flash appeared in the middle of the room. Rock and Erin's jaws fell and they lowered their guns. Standing across from them stood an almost perfect duplicate of Rock himself.


	28. Chapter 27

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Detonation

"I have seven of these amiibos scattered throughout your world," Reboot explained. "Find them and defeat them, and you can keep them. If you can accomplish that, I just might have one final test for you to perform."

Reboot laughed a tinny, unnatural laugh and melded back into the wall. Rock and Erin stared at Rock's double, continually moving their feet as the treadmill moved underneath them. The double gazed back at them blankly. It raised its gun arm and fired off two shots in their direction.

"Move," Erin said.

She and Rock dove out of the way. The walls behind them absorbed the blue energy balls. Erin rolled to her feet and fired off a pair of shots of her own. The shots struck the enemy in the chest, throwing him backwards. The Rock amiibo shook its head, brushing off the blow, before standing and producing a pair of silvery razor blades from within its arm barrels.

"Whoa," Rock said. "I can't do that."

Rock's clone threw his weapons. Rock and Erin ducked, the spinning disks of death sailing straight over their heads and sticking in the back wall.

"What can you do?" Erin asked, firing off another set of rounds at the enemy.

"Just shoot," Rock said. "That's all Doctor Light equipped me for." He dove aside as another razor blade hit the wall behind him and fired off some of his own shots.

"Didn't he design you to assimilate enemy weapons into your own arsenal after defeating them? What about the weapons you got from the other Robot Masters?"

Rock's face grew dark. "No," he said. "I won't use their weapons."

He stood and faced himself, firing off another shot. Unexpectedly, his clone dashed at him, grabbing him and lifting him into the air. Rock struggled to get free, anger spreading across his face. "Th-that's Guts Man's move," he stammered. "How dare you use his—"

Rock's clone didn't listen, hefting him and throwing him against the wall. Erin rolled back, shifting her gun arm and firing a set of missiles into the amiibo's face. The amiibo backed up, shaking his head. He glared at Erin and charged after her. Erin charged up her weapon and fired a powerful blast into the robot's chest and threw him back against the wall.

Erin lowered her gun and approached cautiously, stepping carefully as the treadmill made her footsteps uncertain. A few feet away, the robot raised its head and fired, attaching a glowing pink object to her chest. Erin's eyes widened and she scrambled to get the bomb off. Too late, the bomb detonated and Erin flew across the room, slamming into the wall beside Rock.

"Erin!" Rock said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Erin said, rubbing her head and blinking the stars away. "I think."

Rock looked up to see his double walking toward them across the treadmill floor. He took a deep breath and sighed. "Brothers, forgive me," he said. He tapped into his internal archives and selected Cut Man's data. He felt his machinery shifting inside him. A pair of scissor-like blades slid out of his arm barrels and into his hands.

Rock stood and charged his opponent, throwing the blades at him. The blades struck the amiibo, one of them slicing right through the armor on its right shoulder, the other burying itself in the robot's chest. Rock slammed into his double, forcing it up against the wall. Another blade appeared in his hand. He held it up and stabbed it into the amiibo again and again.

Finally, the robot slumped to the floor, its eyes going dark. Its body became fuzzy and pixelated, the blue melting away, revealing the form of a sleek red robot with a sawblade attached to its forehead underneath, its torso slashed open, fluid leaking across the floor. The blue pixels gathered at its feet and formed into a tiny statuette replica of Rock.

Rock lowered his hands and backed away from the robot, his blade dropping to the floor. His face was pale and his eyes were wide. "No," he said. "Not another one. There can't be . . . more."

Rock dropped to his knees and buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking with rage and remorse.

* * *

The Bombermen held their bombs above their heads, the wicks dwindling down rapidly.

"Move," Reggie shouted.

Bowser and his troops didn't even question the order. The giant turtle and his minions turned and fled the room through a back door, taking their hostages with them. Reggie and Brawler hobbled along side by side, occasionally being yanked forward by their captors in their rush to get out of the room.

Once beyond the door, Bowser led them down a long twisting corridor that led upwards. Reggie turned back to see that a line of Bombermen were following them, their fuses hissing as they went.

"We need to hurry," he shouted.

Bowser glanced back and nodded. "Once we're on the roof, we can board a transport."

Finally, they reached the end of the corridor. Bowser slid a key into the ornate door and threw it open onto the turreted walls of the castle. The giant Koopa pounded across the roof and looked over the edge. "There," he shouted. "We can jump to Ludwig's airship from here." He looked back and pointed to the last Koopa coming out through the door. "You! Shut the door behind you. Don't let those—"

An explosion rocked the castle. A jet of fire burst through the door, frying the poor Koopa guard. Reggie, Brawler, and those closest to them fell to the ground, letting the blast go right over their heads. The castle started to rumble as more and more explosions went off underneath them. Cracks appeared in the stone, and the castle started to wobble as if the whole thing were about to collapse.

Bowser turned and grabbed Ludwig. "Hey," the Koopaling shouted. Bowser ignored him and chucked him like a football down onto the deck of the airship.

"Go!" Bowser shouted, lifting Princess Peach into his arms and throwing her next. "Take the prisoners and find your siblings. Let them know what has happened."

Ludwig caught the Princess in his arms, wincing at her high-pitched screaming. "What about you?" he shouted.

Bowser ignored him and turned, using his razor-sharp claw to slice through Mario and Luigi's bonds. "Go, both of you. Protect the princess as you always have."

The brothers looked at Bowser quizzically, Mario a little bit more so. Bowser turned away from them and started throwing his troops down to the airship. Another explosion rocked the castle and the roof started to give way beneath them. The brothers snapped out of their surprise and jumped together down to their only escape.

Bowser turned and pointed up to the Lakitu holding Chibi-Robo hostage. "Take these other two hostages down to their vessel," he shouted.

The Lakitu nodded. "Yes, sir," it said. It flew down and grabbed the ropes connecting Brawler and Reggie to their captors, lifting them straight up into the air as if they were weightless. The stone beneath them collapsed into a fiery explosion.

"Bowser!" a high-pitched voice shouted. Down below, on the deck of the airship, Princess Peach had broken free from her bonds and had run to the edge of the ship as the castle turret surrounding Bowser started to collapse.

"I'll be alright, Peach," Bowser said, his eyes surprisingly sad. "I can handle fire pretty well, remember?"

Tears welled up in Peach's eyes. "Bowser, you idiot. Get over here," she shouted, stretching out her hand. Too late, the floor gave way beneath Bowser and he disappeared into the flames.

"No!" Peach screamed, but Mario and Luigi grabbed her arms and held her back.

Meanwhile, the Lakitu descended swiftly toward the Deep Diver, Reggie and Brawler in tow. Little more than a few feet away, the submarine started to rumble. "Lakitu!" Reggie shouted. "Move away. Quickly!"

The Lakitu slowed as fiery explosions started to detonate within the sub. With a powerful jerk, Reggie and Brawler felt themselves rising into the air once again, steering away from the sub and toward Ludwig's airship. Below them, the Deep Diver erupted in a ball of flame.

"Ah, man," Brawler said. "I still had three dungeons left on Ocarina of Time."

The Lakitu dropped the Mii brothers on the deck of the ship. Reggie stood to see Ludwig standing at the wheel. "Get us out of here!" he shouted.

"Don't have to tell me twice," the Koopaling replied, turning the wheel sharply.


	29. Chapter 28

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Regret

Villager and Jazz reformed in a large dark room lined with mirrors. The glitch Reset appeared behind them, holding on to the ropes binding them.

SJo," the glitch said. "JazAZz, VillageZr. It's bHeen toEo lonLPg."

"Do we know you?" Jazz said, sitting up and turning to face her captor.

"No, I sIuppose yoT'u wouldn't. NSot at the mMoment anyway. But I kEnow you." The glitch stretched out his white pixelated hand and caressed Jazz's face. "I kGAnow you RRfar toEo welTTl."

He stood and walked to a table in the center of the room where a small black gaming console sat. He pressed a button on the corner, switching it on. "Do yoI'u recogniMze this, JazSz? You ORand I were bRoth rather fond oYf it."

"That's the Sega Master System, right?"

Reset's pixellized face contorted into a smile. The air in front of the console shimmered, a bright glowing portal opening before it. "Ah, yes," he said. "BeIfore this came aZZround, the NES practYically monopolized gDaming consoleIs. Sega threw thDeir hat into thTHe ring and thIe Console WarSs began."

The glitch stepped around behind his captives and pulled them up by their ropes. "YoNu two once lOeft me for dead. NDow, let me rONeturn the favor'T."

He placed his hands on their backs and pushed them toward the portal. Villager pushed back, trying to get away, but Reset spread out his pixels across Villager, taking control of his legs and driving him onward.

He pushed them right up to the edge of the portal, wind whipping at their hair as the vortex spun rapidly. "I hope yJou remembeAr a little game Zcalled FantasZy Zone."

With one last push, he threw Villager and Jazz into the portal. Jazz spun around at the last minute, breaking her hand free from her restraints and grabbing Reset's arm as she disappeared into the void. Her actions took Reset by surprise and he failed to fight back before getting sucked into the portal himself.

* * *

Rock and Erin stood side by side as the lift carried them further and further up into the sky. Rock stared out at the puffy white clouds that surrounded them. His eyes were wet and hollow, his face a complete blank.

"Are you alright?" Erin asked.

Rock nodded, not looking at her, then a few seconds later shaking his head vigorously. "No," he said. Angrily, he raised his arm and let off a volley of energy balls into empty space. "Why did he have to do that? Why did he have to go and make more?"

"Doctor Wily?" Erin asked.

Rock nodded.

"What happened? Before, with your brothers?"

Rock closed his eyes and looked down. "I killed them. All of them. Cut Man. Guts Man. Ice Man . . . Elec Man. They were my brothers, and I killed them."

The blue robot sank to his knees, clutching the edges of the lift. Tears leaked from his eyes and ran down his cheeks.

Erin crouched beside him. She held out her hand to touch him but thought better of it. "You had to, didn't you? They would have done serious damage to the world if you hadn't stopped them."

"They wouldn't have done anything if Doctor Wily hadn't tampered with them!" Rock shouted, turning on Erin, his face red. "Doctor Light and I tried to fix them! We tried to turn them back to normal! But Doctor Wily's work had damaged them too much! The only thing we could do was to . . . was to . . . to put them down."

The color drained from Rock's face as his breath came short and ragged. He stared at Erin for a couple seconds before turning away.

"And now he's gone and built more!" Rock cursed Doctor Wily under his breath, pounding his fist into the steel platform beneath him.

Rock steadied himself and stood. He held out the tiny amiibo of himself. "Some hero I am," he spat. "A murderer is more like it."

He handed the amiibo off to Erin. Erin took the tiny figure and stared at it. She tried to find words to say, but she came up with nothing. She stood next to her hero, listening to him tear himself down, and she couldn't do anything about it.

"I'm sorry," she managed.

The lift came to a stop, opening onto a long stretch of floating platforms hanging miles above the earth.

Rock looked out over the level and wiped his face. "Come on," he said, priming his gun arm. "Let's do this."

Rock jumped across to the next platform, dashing forward with his gun raised. Erin followed after, racing to keep up as Rock barreled his way through the level. Every time an enemy drone approached, he fired off a couple of shots and sent it plummeting through the clouds. They came to a stretch of platforms slowly moving in circles. Rock barely hesitated, jumping from one to another every time their revolutions brought the platforms close enough together. Erin mimicked his actions, following him whenever the platforms came back around to her.

Finally, the pair reached another security door. Rock stopped and waited for Erin to catch up. "You know what's beyond here, right?" Erin said.

Rock nodded.

"We will have to fight it," she said. "Are you going to be okay?"

Rock charged his weapon again. "Let's get this over with." He pressed his hand against the panel beside the door. The door slid open onto another narrow hallway. Rock and Erin hurried down the corridor and opened the next door into a large square room.

Rock and Erin dropped down into the room and stood shoulder to shoulder, their guns at the ready. "Where is it?" Rock said.

Cartoony explosions detonated in the middle of the room. From the smoke, stepped a short man in a green tunic carrying a sword and a shield. The man had blonde hair and giant catlike eyes.

"Toon Link," Erin said.

The amiibo launched its attack immediately, pulling a bright yellow boomerang from within his tunic and throwing it at them. Rock and Erin stepped around the projectile and charged their foe. Both fired off a set of energy orbs. Toon Link blocked Rock's with his shield, but Erin's struck him in the shoulder and knocked him back. The amiibo fought back by striking out with his sword, but Rock deflected it with his metal arm guard.

Toon Link stepped back toward the wall, slashing at his opponents as they blocked his attacks. He reached into the gear on his back and produced a small blue bomb, lit it, and threw it at Erin.

The bomb blew up in her face, throwing her back a little. _At least we don't have moving floors this time_ , she thought to herself. Rock slammed his shoulder into the amiibo and rammed him up against the wall, grabbing his shield and tearing it from his arm. He raised his arm cannon and held it to the amiibo's head. The gun started to glow with blue energy.

Nothing happened. Rock didn't fire. He held the gun to Toon Link's head, staring into those large blank cat eyes.

"Come on," Erin said. "You've got to do it."

"I—I can't . . . ," he said.

Taking advantage of Rock's hesitation, Toon Link stabbed the robot in the torso. The wound wasn't deep but it did some damage. Rock staggered back in surprise, staring at his opponent. Toon Link grinned and rushed Rock, knocking him to the ground. He raised his sword over the robot's head for a final blow.

Erin fired a set of five missiles right into the amiibo's chest, launching it off the ground and into the wall behind him. The amiibo slid to the ground, its head hanging limply, its torso smoking. Its outer shell pixellized, draining off of its host and forming into another tiny amiibo figure at its feet. In Toon Link's place lay a robot with a giant industrial fan for a chest, the fan itself in smolders.


	30. Chapter 29

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Chase

Ludwig von Koopa turned the wheel hard to the right, swerving his airship tightly. A number of Koopa soldiers tumbled across the deck. Reggie and Brawler grasped some rigging tightly as Mario, Luigi, and Peach crouched next to a large barrel. Behind them, a fleet of airships commandeered by Bombermen were raining down a hail of Bullet Bills at them.

"Left!" the Lakitu in the crow's nest shouted.

Ludwig nodded, turning the wheel according to the Lakitu's orders.

Reggie and Brawler stumbled to their feet. Chibi-Robo clung to Reggie's shoulder. "Is it possible to go any faster?" Reggie shouted to Ludwig.

"I'm giving her all she's got," Ludwig shouted back. "The ship's not used to this many extra bodies."

Reggie turned to Mario. He made his way across the deck to where Mario and his brother were crouched with the princess.

"Mario," Reggie said. "Do you think you and your brother can help give the engines more juice?"

Mario looked at Reggie, then at his brother, then at the princess. "I guess we could try something," he said, rubbing his forehead. "Part of me feels like I haven't done any handiwork in a while. But the other part of me distinctly remembers working on the Diver's engines this morning. It's very . . . confusing."

Luigi looked quizzically at his brother. "What do you mean, bro?"

Reggie glanced at Brawler. "I think . . . maybe since we got the Namco codes back and moved forward in the history of gaming, some of your data's been restored. You're starting to remember everything up to at least _Super Mario Bros. 3_."

"I guess so." He looked at his brother. "Did we fight a giant frog recently, or was that just a dream?"

Luigi tried to respond, but a Bullet Bill collided with the side of the ship and sent it reeling. Ludwig fought hard to steady the ship, turning the wheel sharply.

"You'd better hurry," Reggie said.

Mario nodded. "Come on, bro," he said. He glanced down at Princess Peach, who had tears running down her face and staining her dress. "Stay with her," Mario said. He rested his hand tenderly on her shoulder before getting up and running off to the lower decks with his brother.

The boat rocked again, and Reggie had to grab onto the side rail for balance. He slid down next to Princess Peach, glancing up at the melee of bombs and Bullet Bills all around them. "You alright?" he asked the princess.

Peach shook her head. She let out a small croak and put her head down.

"Bowser," Reggie asked.

Peach nodded.

Brawler sat down on her other side, a confused look on his face. "I thought you and Bowser were enemies?" he said.

Reggie gave his brother a look. Brawler shrugged sheepishly in response.

"He is," Peach said, her voice hoarse. "Kind of. But he's also my friend."

"Friend?" Brawler asked.

Peach nodded. "Up until a couple of years ago, the Mushroom Kingdom and the Koopa Klan were allies. Bowser's father served under my father as his advisor and leader of the Koopa race. As such, he often visited the castle, bringing his son with him. Bowser and I spent our childhoods together. He was like a brother to me. But . . ."

She fell silent.

"But what?" Reggie asked.

Peach mouthed, searching for words. "I . . . I guess Bowser's father had been planning an uprising against my father. He had been secretly raising up an army and teaching Bowser to hate and resent the Mushroom People. When his father died, Bowser took control of the army, and . . . fulfilled his father's last wishes."

Peach stared up at the sky as a Bullet Bill collided with a Spiny Shell and exploded in midair. "He betrayed me and my people," she said. "But I know my friend is still in there somewhere. But now . . ."

She let out a sob and buried her head in her arms.

Reggie and Brawler looked at each other. Reggie put his hand on Peach's shoulder. "We'll get him back," Reggie said. "We have a lost sibling out there too."

Peach looked up at Reggie, her blue eyes glistening.

A bomb struck the side of the ship and it started lilting to the left.

"We're not going to make it," Ludwig shouted, fighting his hardest against the wheel. "One more shot like that, and we're done for."

Reggie and Brawler got to their feet. Peach did likewise, wiping her face. "Come on," Reggie said. "Let's try and do what we can to help."

Reggie whipped out his gamepad and pressed the Link amiibo to it. Brawler did the same with the Little Mac amiibo. Peach pulled a frying pan from somewhere within her frilly dress. The five warriors spread out across the deck of the craft, standing side by side with a number of Koopa and Goomba soldiers. A Bill shot toward Reggie and he knocked it aside with the flat of his sword, sending it reeling over the side. Brawler punched at an oncoming bomb, striking it so hard it shot back up to the airship it came from, detonating just a few feet away from it.

Peach climbed up to the crow's nest where she and the Lakitu there threw Spinies and turnips at the oncoming ships. Ludwig's troops fired off Bullet Bills of their own from the sides and forecastle of the craft.

Despite their best efforts, though, the airships just kept coming. More and more seemed to appear in every direction.

"Any ideas, Chibi?" Reggie asked.

"No possibilities come to mind, boss," Chibi responded from his shoulder. A small red light flashed on the robot's forehead. "Boss," he shouted, "A new vessel approaching from the southeast."

"What now?" Reggie said, turning in that direction.

Nearly faster than light itself, a yellow circular spacecraft flashed by overhead. The craft unleashed a barrage of laser fire upon the airships surrounding Reggie and his allies. One by one, their pursuers fell, overwhelmed by the craft's superior firepower. The craft pulled a barrel roll around one of the airships, turning itself around and coming back for another pass. Soon, almost all of the enemy ships had been destroyed, and those that remained had fallen back and begun to retreat.

"Who is that?" the Goomba beside Reggie asked as the yellow craft pulled up alongside their airship. Through the windows at the front of the craft, a figure in a suit of high tech armor sat at the controls.

Reggie grinned, lowering his sword. "That's Samus Aran," he said.

A roar vibrated through the airship, the rocket boosters at the back flaring brightly.

"Looks like Mario and his brother got things figured out," Brawler shouted from across the deck.

Reggie turned to Ludwig. "Then let's get out of here."

Together, Ludwig von Koopa's airship and Samus Aran's spacecraft sped off toward the horizon.


	31. Chapter 30

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Thirty: The Chickening

Villager and Jazz were bombarded by a mishmash of bright greens and yellows and blues and pinks. The pair blinked rapidly as their eyes struggled to adjust to their surroundings. Loud hectic party music filled their ears.

"Where are we?" Villager asked.

"Look out!" Jazz shouted as a spray of colorful energy spheres rained down upon them. She grabbed Villager and pulled him out of the way. Bright yellow flying saucers and floating mechanical heads floated down out of the sky, surrounding the pair.

"Yeah, we're in _Fantasy Zone_ ," Jazz said.

"Fantasy what?" Villager asked.

" _Fantasy Zone_. Now, run!" Jazz grabbed Villager's hand and ran as their enemies launched a hail of bright flashing projectiles at them.

" _Fantasy Zone_ was an early Sega game," Jazz said, huffing as they ran over the strange and nonsensical landscape. "It was a little . . . weird."

"That's an understatement," Villager said as a coin flew up from beneath him, almost making him trip. Over their heads, purple floating creatures released small bloblike blue birds from their gaping mouths.

Jazz looked around, trying to take in everything around her. "Huh," she said. "What happened to Reset?"

"That glitch guy?" Villager said. "Who cares? Let's get out of here."

Jazz glanced up at a floating red circle high over their heads. "If we could get to that, we could get some weapons to work with in here."

Villager glanced up at the red orb and dug around in his pockets. "Um, I don't think I have any flying—"

Villager stopped and pulled out a bright red hat with a pair of deflated balloons attached to it. "What the heck is this thing? I don't remember packing this. I don't remember owning this."

"Villager!" Jazz shouted, pulling him out of the way as a blue blob-bird divebombed him.

"Right." Villager stuck the hat on his head. The balloons inflated immediately on contact, lifting Villager into the air. "Whoa," Villager shouted. He grabbed Jazz's hand, lifting her into the air right alongside him. Together the two ascended toward the bright red circle. A few feet away, Jazz reached out her hand to touch it. Her fingers barely brushed it when the pair found themselves floating in a green hub world, surrounded by grayish blocks advertising different kinds of weapons. The square right in front of them displayed a set of wings for one hundred dollars.

"Um, do you have any cash?" Villager asked.

Jazz shrugged. "Not really," she said. She reached out her hand and touched the square. A bright yellow sign reading "Sold Out" flashed across the box. Jazz yelped in surprise as the set of wings advertised sprouted suddenly from her back.

"What the heck?" she shouted. She let go of Villager's hand and the wings started flapping, keeping her afloat. She twisted around in midair, trying to get a better look. "I have wings!" she shouted.

"Cool," Villager said.

Jazz gave him a look.

"I wonder what else this thing has in here?" Villager said, studying the other blocks around them.

"You pick the next one," Jazz said. "I don't want anything else sprouting from my body."

Villager turned slowly. "Ooh, a laser cannon," he said, stopping on the square advertising such. He pressed the panel and a matching laser weapon appeared in his hand.

"Oh, sure, you just get to hold yours," Jazz said, shifting her shoulders uncomfortably. "Come on, let's go."

She and Villager dipped downwards and found themselves once again in the insane colorful world of _Fantasy Zone._

"What now?" Villager said.

"Those purple head things," Jazz said, pointing. "We're supposed to destroy them."

"And then what?"

"Then we face the boss."

"Great."

Villager waved his arms, speeding toward the closest purple head. Jazz flew right alongside him, struggling to keep control of her new wings. Villager raised his laser cannon and fired off a number of shots at the enemy. After taking a few hits, the head exploded into a spray of pixels.

"This game is weird," Villager commented.

"Just be glad you're not part chicken now," Jazz muttered.

The pair flew forward, dodging obstacles as they came. Occasionally, Villager had to take out a swarm of green eyeball strings in order to get through to the next purple head. One by one, they took out each head, about four or five in total. After the fifth went down, everything seemed to go silent. Villager and Jazz flew forward a few more feet as the air became conspicuously free of projectiles.

"So, um," Villager started to say.

Suddenly, the insane world around them flashed, and they found themselves in an endless expanse of blue sky. A massive floating stump of wood appeared in the sky before them. A pair of eyes and a mouth were carved into its face. The mouth slid open and a swarm of bright green seeds flew out, pelting straight for them.

"Move!" Jazz shouted, tilting downward and out of the way of the swarm. A group of seeds broke off from the rest to follow her. Villager pumped his arms to fly upwards, drawing the others away. He aimed his gun at the wooden head and fired off a few shots. The wooden head flickered with each hit.

"Yeah," Villager shouted. He held up the gun to fire again when a couple of seeds struck his hand and knocked the gun loose. The weapon dropped into the endless blue expanse below.

"Oh, great," Villager said. He waved his arms and maneuvered away from the seeds hounding him. The stump let loose another horde of seeds to chase them.

"What do we do now?" Jazz asked, flying up toward Villager.

"I don't know," Villager said. "I have my turnips. Do you have any other projectiles?"

"Just my soccer ball, but I don't know how well that's going to work—"

Jazz cut off as a charge fanfare sounded and a small red, blue, and green spaceship with wings and feet zoomed in, blasting the giant stump with a barrage of energy orbs. After only a few hits, the stump exploded into pixels and the green seeds disappeared.

The colorful ship flew up to Jazz and Villager and chirped at them robotically. The pair looked sideways at the strange little craft. The ship's blue cockpit flipped open, revealing a young boy with shaggy brown hair and a yellow-and-red jumpsuit. "Hey," he said. "My name's Alex, and this is my buddy Opa-Opa. Do you two need a ride?"


	32. Chapter 31

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Thirty-One: The Parting

Erin helped Rock out of the air lift and into a red lit chamber that was a little hotter than was comfortable.

"Set me down here," Rock said.

Erin complied, setting Rock down against the wall. The large gash in his armor sparked, wires and gears sticking out in odd places.

Erin knelt next to him. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Not too bad," Rock said. "My internal systems should be starting on repairs now. I just wish I had enough energy to speed up the process."

"What about an E Tank?"

"A what?"

"An E Tank." Erin looked around. "Oh, right, they were introduced in _this_ game, weren't they?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Hold on, just a second," Erin said. She stood and hurried down the humid corridor, coming out into a large room full of assorted machinery, like some sort of factory. She wiped sweat off her brow and looked around. After a couple of seconds, she spotted a small metal canister labeled with a large letter "E" tucked away on a high ledge. Erin cautiously ran toward it, glancing around for any enemy robots. Using her gun to launch herself into the air, Erin boosted herself onto the ledge and grabbed the can.

A few seconds later, she was running back down the hall to Rock's side. "Here," she said. "This should help."

Rock took the canister, looked it over, and placed it inside a panel on his arm. Almost immediately, Rock sat up, vibrating slightly as the burst of energy coursed through him. The metal and wires on his stomach started to stitch back together, his wound closing.

"What was that?" Rock said.

"That's an E Tank," Erin said, sitting down next to him. "It's what you use to heal yourself. At least from this game on."

Rock shook his head, trying to shake off the buzz. "Wow," he said. He watched as the wound on his stomach sealed itself completely. "So, before this crash thing happened, I really was some sort of big hero, then?"

Erin smiled. "One of the biggest."

Rock stared at his hands. "Huh," he said. "And how many of these games do I have, exactly?"

Erin thought for a moment. "Um," she said. "About ten main games, kind of. There's also a bunch of spinoffs, like _Mega Man Soccer_ or _Mega Man & Bass._"

"Who's Bass?" Rock asked. "And I play soccer?"

Erin twiddled her thumbs. "Yeah, you may want to reconsider that one."

Rock nodded. "Noted. And . . . have you played them all?"

Erin blushed. "Most of them," she said. "I mean I kind of lost track when we got into the whole _Legends_ and _Battle Network_ and stuff. But the ones starring you, yeah, I've played all of them."

"There are _Mega Man_ games that don't star m—?" Rock shook his head. "Never mind. And Doctor Wily, is he in all of them?"

"Most of them, yeah."

"And in each one, does he—"

"Make more Robot Masters? Yeah, he does."

Rock balled his fist and hung his head. "That bastard," he cursed under his breath. "So that's what? Upwards of seventy Masters or more. And I have to kill them all."

Rock's shoulders slumped. He opened his eyes and looked up at the flashing lights above him. He looked tired. "How?" he said. "How am I supposed to fight that many more? I . . . I can't . . . I can't do it."

Erin looked at him. She rubbed her forehead, wiping the sweat away. She glanced down the hallway, to the end where another amiibo/Robot Master waited for them. "Go home," she said.

"What?"

"Go home," Erin said, looking at the floor. "You've taken me this far. I can make it the rest of the way. You've done enough."

"But, your brothers—"

Erin held up her gun and cocked it. She put on a smile. "I'm pretty tough. Plus, I've played this game plenty of times. I can make it. Go on home. Be with your father and your sister. I'll deal with these Robot Masters."

Rock stumbled to his feet. "A-Are you sure?"

Erin nodded. "Thanks for coming with me," she said. "I'm glad I got to spend some time with you." She blushed and tried not to meet his eyes. "You were my hero when I was younger. I, um, I kind of had a crush on you. I played every single one of your adventures, and I even based a lot of my fighting style on you." She took a deep breath and finally met his eye. "You may not see yourself as a hero, but you'll always be one to me. I just wanted to let you know that. Now, go home. I can finish this one for you."

Rock stared at her. He opened his mouth but no words came out. Finally, Erin pushed him. He stumbled back onto the lift. "Goodbye," she said.

"Wait," Rock said, as the lift rose up out of the chamber and out of sight.

Erin turned away and faced the long red hallway. The butterflies in her stomach were so chaotic, they made her feel ill. She held up her gun. "Let's do this," she said.

* * *

Erin barreled her way through the stage. This level had been one she'd gotten stuck on several times when she had played it on her NES thanks to all the disappearing blocks and annoying enemies. It was probably due to all those times playing it over and over that it seemed like a breeze to her now. She knew just when each block would disappear and reappear. She knew when to jump, when to dodge, when to shoot. Soon enough, she found herself standing before an automatic door.

She glanced at the panel on the door's side. "Oh, right," she said. "Can I even open this?" She was starting to regret her decision to send Rock away. She bit her lip and pressed her hand to the sensor. Fortunately, the panel blinked and the door slid open.

"Oh, thank goodness," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. She glanced back the way she'd come, somehow feeling a little disappointed. A part of her had been quietly hoping she'd have to go back for him. Now, it was official. She had no reason not to go on alone. She faced the short corridor ahead. She remembered the tired look on Rock's face and took a deep breath.

"I can do this," she told herself.

She pounded down the corridor and opened up the second door, dropping into the battle room. Deep booming laughter filled the chamber as the Koopa King Bowser dropped from the ceiling. The giant turtle-beast grinned at his new opponent and let out a monstrous roar.

"What a shame," Reboot said, her green form emerging from the wall behind Bowser. "The little Mii has to go on alone without her big strong robot to protect her."

Erin aimed her gun at Reboot's head. "I can handle myself just fine."

Reboot shrugged. "I'm sure you can, little girl. It doesn't matter to me. I'll get my data whether you or the Blue Buzzkill completes the game for me. Anyways, five more amiibos to collect. Have fun!"

The glitch waved and disappeared into the wall again.

Erin shifted her aim back to Bowser. The giant lizard reared its head and charged, each step shaking the entire room. Erin aimed for his mouth and fired.


	33. Chapter 32

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Castle

Ludwig Von Koopa's airship and Samus's spaceship flew side by side over mountains and valleys and rivers. Down below, explosions went off here and there as armies of Bombermen overtook the land. Once, Reggie and Brawler saw a pair of guys in full military gear blasting away at the Bombermen with a seemingly endless arsenal. Once while passing a mountain, Peach swore she saw a couple of eskimoes beating at some of the robots with wooden hammers.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the two ships cleared a mountain range to see a sprawling valley of forests and lakes ahead of them, a massive mountain with clouds encircling its summit at the northern end.

"Where are we?" Mario asked, glancing over the side.

"This is Hyrule," Reggie said beside him. "The Hyrule of the very first game."

"Hyrule?" Luigi asked. "What's that?"

"A neighboring country," Peach explained. "It looks like the Bombermen haven't made it over the mountain range yet." She looked back at the Lakitu who was now manning the helm to give Ludwig a rest. "Zelda's castle is to the west," she said. "We should be able to seek refuge there."

The Lakitu nodded and turned the wheel accordingly. After a few more minutes, an old decrepit castle appeared in the distance. The ruins of a town spread out around it, while the castle itself looked like it had seen better days. Several walls had holes in them, and one of the towers on the north side had completely crumbled away. A tangled mess of weeds and overgrowth grew around the castle where sprawling gardens once stood. The moat surrounding the castle was dry, with dirt lining the bottom.

The Lakitu set the boat down in a field just beyond the castle grounds. Samus's spacecraft set down nearby.

"Come on," Reggie told his companions.

"What a dump," Brawler said. "Are you sure we're in the right place? It looks abandoned."

Chibi-Robo nodded from Reggie's shoulder. "My sensors indicate six individuals within the castle. Three match the codes of Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf."

"This is the first Zelda game," Reggie explained as he helped unhook a rope ladder and let it fall along the side of the boat. "According to the Hyrule Historia, that means that this is toward the end of the decline timeline."

Mario scratched his head. "Decline timeline?"

"It's complicated."

One by one, Reggie, Brawler, Mario, Luigi, Peach, and several of Ludwig's forces descended the ladder. Reggie set foot in the long grass and stepped away from the boat. Across the field, a hatch opened on the bottom of Samus's spacecraft. Two figures stepped down the ramp. One, of course, was the familiar figure of Samus Aran, decked out in her red and yellow power suit. By her side stood a tall, musclebound man with long flowing hair and dressed in the armor of a barbarian. A long whip hung by his side.

"Whoa," Brawler said, stepping down beside Reggie. "That's Simon Belmont."

The imposing warrior raised a musclebound arm to the Mii brothers. "Hail, fellow heroes," he said, his voice deep and strong. He and Samus made their way across the field to greet the crew. Samus held her gun at the ready, looking around for any sort of threat.

Simon extended his hand. "Greetings," he said. "I am Simon Belmont, slayer of Dracula. My companion here is Samus Aran, a bounty hunter from a land beyond the stars."

Samus nodded but didn't say anything. She turned her attention to the patch of woods nearby, scoping it out for any threats.

"He doesn't talk much," Simon explained.

"He?" Brawler said, cocking his head. "I thought Samus was a girl."

Simon looked at Brawler strangely. "What do you—"

Samus charged her gun loudly and fired into the woods. A wild deer sprinted away. Samus raised her gun and turned her head to look at Brawler.

"Um, never mind," Reggie said. "My brother gets _Metroid_ and the movie _Alien_ mixed up sometimes."

Simon looked even more confused. He shook his head. "Anyway," he said. "Who is your leader here?"

"That would be me," Ludwig said, stepping down from the ladder. "I'm in charge here." He put out his clawed hand and shook Simon's. "Ludwig Von Koopa. Eldest prince of the Koopa Klan."

"Excuse me?" Peach said. "Last I checked, I actually rule my kingdom. I'm pretty sure I'm in charge." She nodded politely. "Peach Toadstool, princess of the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Please," Ludwig said, shoving Peach aside. "You're still my captive, and it was my ship that brought us here. I'm in charge."

Reggie cleared his throat. "Can we decide this after we get inside?"

Ludwig and Peach glanced at Reggie, giving each other a scowl, and nodded. "Fine," the princess said. "Let's go."

"Careful," Simon said, taking the lead. "I've got some experience with old rundown castles."

Simon set forward, followed by Peach and Ludwig, then Mario, Luigi, and Ludwig's troops. Reggie and Brawler followed behind.

"Why would Simon Belmont think Samus is a guy?" Brawler whispered.

Before Reggie could answer, the towering form of Samus shoved her way past them, giving them a glare through her helmet as she passed.

Reggie bit his lip. "He probably just hasn't finished the first game yet."

Brawler squinted, thinking for a moment. "Oh, yeah. Right."

The brothers followed the group inside. Simon pulled the doors open and a swarm of flaming bats flew out and scattered into the open air. Simon watched them fly, his eyes narrowing. "The bats are on fire this time? Truly the game designers know no mercy."

He stepped into the castle's wide atrium, looking around cautiously. The group followed shortly behind. The air inside was dusty and smelled of mold. Several walls had either caved in or had thick holes in them. A staircase led up to higher levels, but most of it had crumbled away.

"Who goes there?"

A pair of knights, clad in blue and red respectively, stepped out of a doorway at the back of the room. "If ye be robbers," the red one said, her voice clearly female. "We warn ye. We be fully armed."

Mario tilted his head. "But you have no weapons."

The knights glanced at each other. "We still have arms, do we not," the blue knight said. "Now get out of here before we be forced to make use of them."

Peach came forward and held out her hands. "Please," she said. "I am Princess Toadstool of the Mushroom Kingdom. I request an audience with the Princess Zelda."

The two knights looked at each other, then squinted suspiciously at the party. "Well," the blue knight said, "since there be more of ye than there be of us, I suppose there be no harm in it. But don't try anything funny or else my lady love will be forced to unleash her full fury upon thee. Right, dear?"

The red knight puffed out her chest. "Right."

The knights turned and opened the door. The party crossed the room and stepped through, Peach thanking them graciously as she passed. Reggie and Brawler followed the party, scratching their heads.

Inside the door, a vast garden, likely once beautiful and lush but now overgrown with weeds, stretched out before them. In the center, before a dried up fountain, four figures stood gathered. A young maiden in purple and white silk garments stood beside a decrepit old woman. A young boy in a green tunic knelt at her feet. A short distance away, with his thick blue arms crossed over his chest, stood a ten-foot-tall beastly pig demon wearing golden armor and a flowing red cape.


	34. Chapter 33

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Decision

Erin raced through the next level, diving deeper and deeper into an underground complex. She had to keep moving, jumping down platform after platform as bright beams of yellow energy shot from the walls behind her. Security drones with flaming cauldrons for heads got in her way, and she blasted her way through them, barely slowing down. The lights turned off and on as she went, sometimes plunging her into sheer darkness. She had to rely on instinct and luck to keep going.

Finally, she reached the security door at the end. She opened it up, ran through, and opened the second door. She had barely set foot inside when a blue blur raced past her and knocked her off her feet. On a platform above her, the blue hedgehog Sonic appeared, looking down at her with his trademark smug grin.

Erin got to her feet and held up her gun. Sonic chuckled and zipped away. Erin tried to follow him with her gun, but she was too slow. Sonic appeared behind her and clotheslined her with his arm, knocking her to the floor.

"Alright," she said, pulling her newly gained Bowser amiibo from her pocket. "Try this on for size."

She tapped it to her pad, and an exact duplicate of Bowser appeared out of thin air beside her. She used her control pad to direct him to the middle of the room. She then activated her Toon Link amiibo as well, placing him beside her as a bodyguard. Finally, she pulled out her Mega Man amiibo. Before she tapped it to the gamepad, she stopped and stared at the amiibo. Rock's plastic face looked back at her with a slight grin on his face. She remembered the devastated look the real Rock had worn when he learned that he had to destroy even more Robot Masters.

Erin took a deep breath and put the Mega Man amiibo away. She held up her gun and stood back to back with Toon Link. Sonic zoomed by. Erin shot at him, toward the left wall. Sonic avoided it by swerving hard to the right, across the back of the room. Toon Link threw his boomerang to intercept him along the other side. Sonic zipped back the other way. Erin shot to intercept him again. He turned around and found himself clotheslined by Bowser. The blue hedgehog fell to the floor, skidding several feet. Bowser stomped over and set his foot on his chest.

Erin and Toon Link approached from either side. Erin held her gun at Sonic's nose. "How do I remove your amiibo without destroying you?" she asked.

Sonic didn't respond. He simply tilted his head and spouted a programmed "Come on!"

Reboot emerged from the wall nearby. "You're wasting your time, little girl," she said. "You have to defeat the Robot Master to get the amiibo. That's how it's programmed."

Erin glared at Reboot. "So what if I decide I'd rather not get the amiibo?"

Reboot turned her head condescendingly. "Now, that won't do at all, will it? I thought you wanted to save your world. Don't you at least want to see your brothers again? If you don't take the shot, you'll be trapped in this room forever, and you'll never be able to finish the game."

Erin closed her eyes and hung her head. She had no argument.

"It's your choice, little girl," Reboot said. "Selfishly spare the machine, or get the amiibo and save the world. What do you choose?"

Erin grimaced. She took a deep breath and primed her gun.

* * *

Rock stood over the crumpled remains of Air Man. He looked up at the door that would lead him out of this mess and back home to Roll and Doctor Light. He took a step toward it, then stopped, glancing back at the elevator shaft from which he had come. He remembered Erin's face as she had pushed him into the elevator. She was probably already a level ahead by now, fighting the fight that he should have been fighting.

Rock hung his head. He wanted to just turn away, go back home and forget about all of this. But something stopped him. Every time he tried to take a step forward, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He thought of Elec Man, his oldest brother. Elec was always so decisive, sure of everything he did. What would he have done?

"So, what? You're just going to let that girl face all those Robot Masters alone?" Elec's voice sounded almost real inside his head.

Rock could almost imagine him crossing his arms in disappointment. "Come on, Rocky. You know what robots like us are capable of, what we were designed for. Can you really justify abandoning her like this and going home to dad and sis?"

"What am I supposed to do?" Rock replied. "I can't do it anymore, Elec. It was hard enough when I had to . . . you know . . ."

Rock imagined Elec giving him a look. "Kill us? You can say it, you know."

Elec uncrossed his arms and put them on his hips. "Look, bro, you did what you had to do. Imagine if you were in our shoes. Your mind permanently tampered with, unable to control your own actions, and your body being used to hurt and destroy. I _wanted_ you to stop me, Rocky. You saved me. And now, Doctor Wily is putting eight more of us through the same torture, and you're just going to walk away from that? Let someone else do the job? Come on, bro. Go put Uncle Albert in his place."

Rock looked up, his eyes glistening. "I don't know if I can do it."

Elec Man put his imaginary arm on Rock's shoulder. "You can. I believe in you, Rocky. And even if you can't, you still got a little piece of me in that programming of yours. I can help make up the difference."

Rock imagined his other five brothers standing behind Elec: Cut Man, Fire Man, Bomb Man, all of them. Each one beamed at Rock like he was their favorite little brother. "We all can," they said.

Rock wiped his eyes, and stood up straight. He took a deep breath. "You're right," he said. He primed his weapon and turned around. "This is my duty."

* * *

Izzy stood staring at three computer monitors. One showed a young red-headed girl with a cannon arm fighting her way through _Mega Man 2_. Another showed a pair of Miis and a number of Mario and Zelda sprites gathered in _Legend of Zelda_ , and another showed a small winged spacecraft zipping through a colorful background.

Three shadowy figures stood behind him. One stepped forward, his hand on an ornate cane, the cuff of a linen suit visible in the low lighting.

"So these are what they call 'good' games, eh?" the man said in a posh British accent. "They don't look so difficult."

Izzy turned and smiled at the man. "You think so, do you?" He gestured at the screens. "Why don't you get in there and show me what you've got, and I might consider making the three of you my new Game Masters."

The man's hand gripped the top of his cane. For a second, the hand glitched and became hairier, dirtier, and more muscular before returning to normal. He raised his cane and pointed it at the middle screen displaying _Legend of Zelda_. "I want that one," he said.


	35. Chapter 34

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Council

Villager and Jazz squeezed up against Alex Kidd inside of Opa-Opa. Jazz's wings flapped every now and then, making her shift uncomfortably.

"How much longer?" she asked.

"Just a few more minutes, then we'll be to my castle," Alex grinned back at them.

Jazz pulled at her feathery new appendages. "And when do these wings come off, exactly?"

The controls inside of Opa-Opa blinked and beeped. "He says he normally keeps them until the end of the game," Alex translated. "Unless he trades them out for better models."

"How far until the end of the game?"

Alex bit his lip. "Technically, we've already left Opa-Opa's game. We're in my world now." He spread out his hands to the countryside below. "Welcome to Miracle World."

Jazz slumped against Villager's back. "Great."

"It's okay, Jazz," Villager said, trying to cheer her up. "I think they make you look like an angel."

Jazz glanced up at Villager's innocent smile. She reached up and flicked his head. "That's enough out of you."

Opa-Opa sped forward at breakneck speed, Miracle World slipping by beneath him. Soon an enormous castle rose in the distance.

"There it is, you two," Alex told his passengers. Jazz sat up, and she and Villager looked out through the window at the castle.

"That's your castle?" Villager asked.

"Well, technically, it's my brother Igul's, but I live there too."

As Opa-Opa approached the castle, a drawbridge lowered to let the small spacecraft inside. Opa-Opa sped through the castle's corridors, finally coming to a stop in the middle of a giant throne room. A young boy in fancy school clothes sat on the throne waiting for them.

Opa-Opa's cockpit flipped open. Alex hopped out, followed by Villager and Jazz.

"Hey, bro," Alex said, running to his brother and giving him a hug.

"Welcome back, Alex," Igul said, returning the hug stiffly. The brothers separated, then put their hands together in between them.

"One, two, three!" they both shouted. Igul formed his hand into a fist, while Alex laid his hand out flat.

"Ha!" Alex shouted, wrapping his hand around Igul's fist.

"Darn it," Igul said. "I thought I might have you that time!"

Alex grinned and mussed his brother's hair. He then turned to Villager and Jazz. "Guys, this is my brother Igul."

Igul bowed respectfully. "Pleased to meet you," he said. "I understand my brother found you out in Fantasy Zone."

"Yeah," Villager said, rubbing the back of his head. "We kinda ran into some trouble with this glitch guy."

A gruff cough sounded behind them. "Glitches. The whole lot of them are a plague upon the video game world."

Villager and Jazz turned to see a short dwarf with a long white beard and a green tunic. He looked almost like a cross between Link and Santa Claus. In his right hand, he held an enormous battle axe.

"Please," Igul said, "This gentleman is my guest, Gilius Thunderhead, of the _Golden Axe_ franchise."

Gilius looked Villager and Jazz up and down. Jazz bit her lip excitedly and twiddled her thumbs. Gilius sniffed at Villager's hair, then twisted his face in a look of revulsion. "You two are from Nintendo, ain't you?"

Villager swallowed. "Y-yes, sir."

A slight hint of movement behind them made Villager and Jazz turn to find a tall figure in black with a red scarf around his neck staring down at them. Jazz let out a small _eep!_

"We're not fond of Nintendo around her," the man hissed.

"Y-y-you're J-j-j—," Jazz stumbled over her words.

"Joe Musashi," the man said, bowing slightly. "From the world of _Shinobi_."

"Please, gentlemen," Igul spoke up. "Right now, you are all guests in my castle, and I expect you all to be civil."

Joe Musashi turned to Igul and nodded respectfully. "Yes, sir."

Gilius shouldered his axe and grunted, eyeing Villager and Jazz distrustfully.

"Now," Igul said, turning to his brother. "I see you have brought Opa-Opa. That leaves only the Altered Beast and we will have our new game masters."

Villager raised an eyebrow. "Game masters?" he said, looking around. "All of you?"

Gilius huffed. "After the mess you Nintendoans made of the world, us here at Sega are the only ones left glitch-free who can become game masters."

Jazz turned, her wings flapping slightly. "You mean, you don't have any glitches here?"

"We here at Sega closed off our borders and took steps to keep the glitches out," Joe said. "It was rough early on, but we have managed to expel all glitches from our systems."

"And now, we're ready to re-establish a new Council of Game Masters," Alex said with a grin. "Joe, Gilius, Opa-Opa, the Altered Beast, and I plan to pool our data and reboot the Video Game universe."

"What about Sonic?" Villager asked.

A thick silence filled the room at the mention of Sonic's name as the faces of the individuals gathered grew dark.

"That blue clown's not welcome among us anymore," Gilius growled.

Opa-Opa squeaked in agreement.

Villager and Jazz looked around in surprise at the bitter looks everyone bore. "But . . ." Jazz said, "Sonic's your greatest warrior. He kept your legacy going even after Sega lost the console wars. He's your mascot, your icon."

Alex crossed his arms and looked out the window. "He was," he said, an edge in his voice. "I passed on the title of Game Master to Sonic many years ago. I believed he was the hero you say he is, that he would be the one to lead us into the future."

Alex turned and looked at Villager and Jazz, a surprising amount of anger in his eyes. "But Sonic has squandered our legacy," he said. "He has turned Sega into a laughing stock. Sonic '06, Sonic Boom, Sonic Free Riders. You can't bring up the name of Sonic anymore without it being mocked and scorned. He is a disgrace to the legacy the five of us started."

Alex looked over the other Sega icons gathered. "No," he said. "We don't need Sonic. We're better off without him."

Villager and Jazz looked at each other.

* * *

Some distance away, a musclebound warrior in a purple tunic dug his way out of an ancient Greek grave. He got to his feet and brushed the dirt off of his clothes. He shook out his long shaggy hair and flexed his rippling muscles. He held up the scroll in his hand. "Game Master, huh?" he said in a booming deep voice. "Looks like it's time to power up!"

The warrior strode forward through the cemetery, keeping a lookout for enemies or powerups. About halfway across the graveyard, he heard a slight groan. He turned to see a shimmering white pixelated figure sprawled in the grass behind a row of headstones. The warrior cautiously approached the figure, his fists held in front of him defensively.

"Identify yourself, intruder!" the warrior commanded. "Be ye a servant of Neff?"

The white figure only moaned, glitching with static every few seconds. The warrior crept closer, looking over the strange figure. "Do ye require assistance?" he asked. He tentatively stretched out a hand to touch the strange being.

The moment the warrior touched him, the glitch grabbed his arm and held it tightly. The warrior pulled away, but the being's pixels were already spreading up his arm and across his broad chest. The warrior cried out in pain before collapsing in a pixelated heap. After a few seconds, the warrior stood once again, his thick muscular flesh replaced by square blocky pixels. The warrior's face stretched into a smile as he examined his new body.

"Power up," Reset's voice spoke from the warrior's mouth mockingly.


	36. Chapter 35

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Quest

Inside the crumbling great hall of Princess Zelda's castle, fourteen people gathered around a long wooden table. At the head sat the young Princess Zelda, her curly brown hair cascading around her face and down the back of her red silk dress. At her side, an elderly woman with a hunched back and a hooked nose sat at attention. On her other side, the hero Link sat in his green tunic.

Princess Peach and Ludwig sat across from each other, with Mario, Luigi, and the Lakitu as their attendants. Simon and Samus came next. Finally, Reggie and Brawler sat at the end of the table, Chibi-Robo clinging to Reggie's shoulder. The hulking form of Ganon stood at the far end of the table, so close to Reggie that he could smell the demon's piglike musk. Zelda's two knights and a number of the Koopa Troop stood at attention around the room.

Zelda pursed her lips. "So this is all the result of a crash then?" she asked, looking at Reggie.

Reggie nodded. "Yes, your highness," he said.

Zelda turned to her attendant. "So is this then an alternate timeline, Impa?" she asked. "Like in the Hyrule Historia?"

The elderly woman at Zelda's right shook her head. "I do not believe so, mistress," she said. She cast a wary eye to the dark lord at the end of the table. "Those alternate timelines were the result of our . . . guest's mucking about with the powers of time, leading to ours in which he killed the destined hero and drove our land into ruin."

Ganon's eyes narrowed, and he and Impa glared at each other for a moment. Impa turned away from him. "Mistress, I do not believe we have truly reset any timeline, but rather that we have simply forgotten our pasts as time continues to move forward."

Zelda considered, glancing around at the faces gathered at her table. Reggie was surprised by the girl's appearance. She looked like the Zelda he knew, but at the same time, she wasn't quite the same. She was a lot younger, and many of her features were slightly different, as though she were a relative to Zelda rather than Zelda herself. There was also a hardness and a tiredness to her eyes that the Zelda he knew did not have.

"If that is the case," she said, "how do we fix the situation."

"Before the crash, my siblings and I were given gamepads and amiibos by our creator, my lady," Reggie said. "I believe that if we are able to gather all of the amiibos and awaken eight game masters, we can reboot the universe."

Zelda studied Reggie. "Amiibos?" she asked. "How many do you have now?"

"We had eighteen," Reggie said. "But my sister has three of them."

Brawler pulled the Zelda amiibo from his pocket. "We even have one of you, see?" He held it up so Zelda could see it clearly. Behind him, Ganon perked up, examining the tiny figure intensely.

Zelda studied the figure with a mixture of curiosity and uncertainty. She held out her hand. "Let me see it," she said. Brawler passed it down the table to the princess. She took it and turned it over in her hands. She studied the face, the features not familiar to her. Reggie glanced up at Ganon, and he thought he saw a glint of recognition in the giant boar's eyes.

Zelda stared at the figure, then up at Reggie. "Why does it not resemble me?" she asked.

"Technically, it's not you," Reggie said. "It's the Princess Zelda who lived during the era of the Hero of Time."

Zelda looked over the figure again. "My ancestor?" she asked Impa. "During the time split?"

Impa took the figure and studied it. "It would appear so, my lady."

Zelda crossed her fingers and pondered for a time. "What should be done, then?" she said. "How can we help? What can we do?"

"It seems our first order of business is the army of bombermen encroaching our borders," Ganon spoke for the first time, his voice deep and guttural. "To truly defend ourselves and defeat this army, we would need to reassemble the triforce."

Zelda glared at Ganon before sighing. "I suppose you are right," she conceded. She looked at Link. "Young warrior," she said, "it appears you must resume your quest after all."

Link eyed the gathered heroes in the room, before nodding silently.

"It seems only fair to send a companion from each party present to attend Link," Zelda said, "While the rest remains to help with the land's defenses. Princess Toadstool, who will you send?"

Peach turned to the brothers beside her. "Mario, will you join them?" she asked.

Mario nodded. "Yes, my lady."

Ludwig conferred with his Lakitu advisor. "I will go myself," the Koopaling said.

Simon Belmont raised his hand. "I will join as well," he said.

Zelda turned to the Mii brothers at the end. "What about you two?" she asked. "Which will join the quest?"

Reggie and Brawler looked at each other. "You're better with action stuff," Reggie said. "I'll be better suited for the technical work."

"Yeah, but you're the swordmaster here," Brawler replied. "Plus, these Zelda dungeons get pretty technical. These fighter-types will probably need your help."

Reggie considered for a moment. He glanced up at Link, his favorite game character since his youth. He looked at Mario, Ludwig, and Simon, the other companions on the quest. He looked back at Brawler. "You sure?"

Brawler grinned. "Go get 'em, bro."

Reggie turned to Zelda. "I'll go," he said.

Zelda nodded. "What about you, Ganon," she said.

The giant pig scratched at his snout. "I think I'll sit this one out," he said. "Perhaps your bodyguards would like to help out instead."

The red and blue knights at the door perked up. "What?" the red one said. "Us? A quest?"

"Surely you have enough protection with all these _heroes_ around now," Ganon continued.

Zelda considered for a moment. She studied Ganon, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Alright," she said. "Velasco, D'Angelo, you may go as well."

The blue knight let out a whoop and high-fived his partner. "We won't let you down, my lady."

"Well, then," Zelda said, getting to her feet. Her eyes stayed on Ganon. "We have our quest then. Good luck, heroes. You had best set off immediately. The Bombermen will likely be here sooner than we think. Seek out the Old Man of the Underground. He will be able to assist you."

Zelda stood. "Please," she said. "Go quickly."

Together, Reggie, Link, Simon, Mario, and Ludwig stood. Reggie picked Chibi off of his shoulder and handed him to Brawler. "You stay here, Chibi," he said. "We won't be gone long."

Reggie and Brawler locked eyes. The brothers grasped hands. "Be safe, buddy," Brawler said. His lower lip trembled, and Reggie could tell he was thinking about Erin.

"I'll be okay, Satoru," Reggie said. "You hold down the fort while I'm gone."

Brawler nodded. "Got it," he mumbled.

Reggie glanced at Mario, who was giving his own brother a hug. Mario met his eye and nodded. "Let's-a go!" he said.

Simon Belmont clapped a muscular hand down on Reggie's shoulder. "Glad to have you with us, young swordsman," he said.

Reggie, Simon, and Mario gathered at the door with Ludwig and Zelda's knights. Zelda handed Link a map, and Link joined the party as well.

"Farewell, my warriors," Zelda said. "Serve us well, and return in safety."


	37. Chapter 36

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Return

Erin shivered, rubbing her arms. Her breath came out in a cloud of mist. She cocked her gun and hurried forward, stepping carefully to avoid sliding around on the icy floor. "Okay," she muttered to herself, glancing up at the ledge above her. "I believe I was supposed to go straight here."

She ran forward, ignoring the ledge. After a few feet, she came to a dead end.

"Huh," she said, glancing back to where she came from. "Weird that I couldn't see that from back there."

Erin backtracked and hopped up onto the ledge. She hurried through the icy maze, shooting up at red robots up above her. After a few turns, she came to a sheer drop. She stopped for a second, recharged her gun, then dropped into the darkness.

She landed on a small icy platform below. Behind her, a robot piloting a giant walker activated. "Intruder alert!" the robot shouted.

Lasers fired from the walker. Erin dove to the right. She rolled to her feet and fired off a couple of shots at the robot. Using its powerful legs, the robot leaped into the air, causing one of the shots to miss. The other shot hit home however, striking the walker in the leg and causing it to flash for a second.

"Great," Erin said. "Nine more."

The giant mech stomped toward Erin, firing off more lasers. Erin ran around the robot, firing at it as quickly as she could. Two hits. Three. Four.

A laser found its mark and struck Erin in the shoulder. "Ah!" she shouted, falling to the ground. The robot bore down on her, its guns training on her torso. Erin raised her gun and fired off one more shot.

The giant mech exploded, breaking apart into its individual pieces. Erin backed up, holding her injured shoulder. The robot piloting the mech landed on the ground, looking around in dismay. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" it shouted.

It raised its gun and marched toward her. Erin held up her gun and shot it in the chest several times. The robot stumbled, then exploded into balls of energy.

Erin took a deep breath, sweat beading down her face. She got to her feet, wincing at the pain in her shoulder. "Come on, Erin," she said. "Just a little more."

She ran ahead in the level. She hurried through another maze of platforms and levels, occasionally backtracking and trying different routes before coming to another drop. She ran to the edge and jumped down, holding her shoulder as she fell.

"Intruder alert!"

Another robot piloting a mech sprang to life as she landed.

Erin groaned. "Oh, come on."

The robot fired its lasers, and Erin dodged to the side. Her wound flared up as she did so. She raised her arm to fire, but the mech jumped, and only one of her shots connected. Erin staggered to her feet and fired off another shot. The mech returned fired, striking her in the stomach before she could avoid the attack.

"Aaagh!"

Erin fell to the ground, clutching her stomach in pain. She tried to get up but her hand slipped on the icy floor. The robot stomped toward her, another laser striking her left leg. Erin raised her gun and fired. The mech shuddered, but stood its ground. Its lasers trained on her face.

Erin closed her eyes.

Two energy balls struck the mech from the side and the machine exploded, leaving the pilot standing in the rubble. Both Erin and the pilot looked to see Rock standing at the base of the drop, aiming his gun arm at the pilot.

"Get away from her," Rock said.

The pilot turned his gun on Rock, but he was too slow. Rock nailed him with two shots to the chest, followed by two more, throwing him backwards. One last shot and the robot evaporated into energy orbs.

Rock lowered his gun. He ran to Erin's side.

"Erin, are you alright?"

Erin pushed herself up weakly, holding her bleeding stomach. "Rock," she said. "What are you—"

"Hold on," Rock said, propping Erin up against the wall. "Stay there and hold still. I'll be right back."

Rock ran down the corridor ahead. After a few seconds, he came running back through the room and looked up at the ledge high above that he had dropped from. He ran back and forth across the room frantically. "Come on, come on," he muttered.

"What's—?" Erin tried to ask.

Rock stopped, rubbing his helmet. He turned to Erin and crouched down beside her. "I can't find an energy canister. The drop's too far to get back up, and the boss battle entrance is just up ahead."

Erin looked up at him, her face pale and drenched in sweat. "You'll have to . . . get to . . . the next stage," she said. "I can't remember . . . if there's a hidden . . ."

"It's okay," Rock said. "Don't try to talk."

He put his arms under her and lifted her off the ground. "I'll get you there," he said. "Don't worry."

Erin nodded, laying her head on Rock's shoulder. Rock hurried forward to the end of the level. He shifted his grip when he got to the door and pressed his hand to the panel, then rushed through to the next door. Once in the boss chamber, Rock set Erin down in a corner. "I got this," he said.

He stood defensively in front of Erin, his gun held at the ready. A set of icy steps obscured half the room. Rock took a deep breath. "Come on, Robot Master," he said. "Where are you?"

From the corner of his eye, Rock thought he saw a flash of movement before a tiny needle embedded itself in his armor.

"Ow," he shouted. He looked at his arm to see the thin black weapon sticking out of it. "What the—"

Another flash of movement, and Rock spotted a shadowy figure in ninja garb, crouching on the top step. "There," he said. He fired off a couple of shots, but the ninja teleported away before they hit. The ninja reappeared at the bottom of the steps and threw another set of needles. Rock deflected them with his arm brace and fired again. Once again, the ninja disappeared.

"She's too fast," Rock said.

"It's Sheik," Erin said. "Hang on."

Shakily, she pulled her gamepad out of her pocket alongside the new Sonic amiibo. She tapped the figure to the pad's sensor, and the blue hedgehog materialized from thin air beside Rock.

"Let's go Sonic speed!" Sonic said.

Rock looked Sonic up and down, then nodded. He turned back to the battle and held out his gun. "Let's do this!"

Sheik appeared on the top step again. Rock fired at her. The ninja threw some powder at the ground in order to disappear again, but Sonic was too fast. He sped up the steps and snagged Sheik by the scarf. Rock's energy orbs hit home, pounding Sheik in the chest and knocking her back.

"You're too slow," Sonic boasted. He hefted the ninja and sped down the steps, laying her at Rock's feet.

The ninja sat up and glared at Rock. Her hand went for her weapons, but Sonic grabbed her hand and held it down. Rock pointed his gun at her chest. For a second, he stared at the ninja, staring through to his fellow Robot Master trapped inside. Rock charged his gun.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Rock fired. Sheik slumped to the ground. Her pixels drained off the robot, leaving behind a blue-and-yellow robot and a Sheik amiibo at its feet.


	38. Chapter 37

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Team

Erin groaned. She lay on her back on a small steel platform sticking out of a pouring waterfall. The gunshot wounds in her shoulder, stomach, and leg burned, screaming at her. A part of her felt like the pain had lessened a bit, but she had probably just gotten used to it. The spray from the falls beside her washed over her, granting her brief moments of relief, mingled with flaring twinges of pain.

Metal clanging sounded nearby as Rock came back into view, hopping nimbly across a series of platforms to get back to Erin. Finally, he stopped beside Erin and crouched. He held out an E-canister. "Here," he said, raising her head up. "I know you don't have a socket to plug it into or anything, but if you're part of the game, it's got to work somehow, right?"

Erin took the canister in her shaking hands and clutched it tightly. She trembled, holding the device to her chest. After a couple of seconds, the canister started to dissolved into pixels of light that spread over Erin's whole body. She gasped a sigh of relief as the pain magically lifted from each of her wounds. Color returned to her face, and even the burnt holes in her orange top knitted back together. Erin sat up, feeling better than ever.

"I have got to stop getting injured all the time," she said, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

"Don't worry about it," Rock said, sitting down beside her. "Injuries are a part of combat. I can't tell you how many times I got hit in my first game. You'll learn when you gain more experience."

Erin smiled. "Thanks for saving me," she said.

Rock gave her a thumbs up. "I owed you one, didn't I?" he said.

Erin looked up at the waterfall above them, raining down thousands of liters of water all around them. She studied Rock, his face full of renewed determination.

"Why did you come back," she said. "I thought you couldn't handle fighting your fellow Robot Masters anymore."

Rock met her eyes, a look of firm strength mingled with a touch of melancholy within them. "Well," he said, "If I don't, who will? What kind of hero am I if I'm constantly passing off my duty to somebody else?"

Erin looked down. "Oh."

Rock put his hand on her shoulder. "Thank you," he said, "for being willing to take the burden from me. But . . . this is my duty." He pressed a button on the console on his arm, bringing up the images of the slain Robot Masters he had fought in the past. "I owe it to my father, my sister, and to them."

Rock flipped through the images on his arm, stopping on his brother Elec. "I imagine," he said, "if I were in their position, if I was being forced to harm and destroy against my will, I think I would want someone to do the same for me if there were no other options."

He closed the panel and looked back at Erin. "So if that is to be my destiny," he said. "Then who am I to sit back and let you have all the fun?"

Erin gave him a small smile and touched him gently on the arm. "Are you sure?" she asked.

Rock smiled. "One hundred percent."

"Well then," Erin said, getting to her feet and rubbing her side. She held out a hand to Rock. "Shall we continue? There's only a couple more levels left."

Rock looked up at her, studying her face. Her red hair was plastered around her face and neck by the spray coming off the falls, but her dark eyes shone with courage. Rock reached out and grasped her hand, allowing her to pull him to his feet.

"Let's do this," he said.

Together, the two ran forward through the level, crossing platform after platform as the falls roared around them. Occasionally, an enemy passed by, and one or the other took it out. Soon they came to a drop into the water beneath them, and the pair plunged headfirst, swimming through a maze of water. To Erin's surprise, she didn't seem to have a hard time breathing and found that she and Rock could navigate the underwater passageways without having to worry about air.

Water-based robots swam all around them. Erin and Rock watched each other's backs as they swam, taking out enemies who came up from behind or below. Finally, they reached another waterfall section, leading to an underwater security door.

Erin and Rock stopped, staring down at the security door. Erin glanced over at Rock. "You ready?"

Rock nodded. He looked over at her. "Together?" he asked.

"Together," she said. She grasped his hand for a moment. The pair stepped forward and plunged back into the water. Rock pressed his hand to the security panel, and they passed through to the second door.

Once inside the boss room, the boss didn't hesitate to make himself known. A massive overweight penguin slammed to the floor, a giant wooden hammer clutched in his hands. The penguin bounced his belly and laughed at them, pounding the shaft of the hammer against the floor.

"King Dedede," Erin said.

The penguin crouched and launched himself high into the air. "Move," Erin said. She and Rock ran to opposing sides of the room. The huge penguin slammed into the ground where they'd been standing, denting the floor. The bird looked around, spying where his targets had gone. He decided Rock was the target he wanted most and turned away from Erin, raising his hammer to bring it down on Rock's head.

Erin and Rock locked eyes.

"Now," Erin said.

The two heroes fired off a volley of laser fire into the corpulent king from two sides. In this case, the king's large size and slow movements worked against him, making him a sitting duck for their power. After only a few minutes, the battle was over. King Dedede melted into pixels, leaving behind a green robot in a scuba mask and a small plastic King Dedede figure.

Erin and Rock stood together over the fallen Robot Master. Rock studied his newfound brother's face with a mixture of sorrow and anger. He bent down and picked up the Amiibo, holding it up for Erin to see. "Come on," he said. "Only one more left, right?"

* * *

"No, no, no!" Doctor Wily shouted, watching the screen as Rock and Erin defeated King Dedede. "They're destroying all of my robots!" He turned on Reboot, who stood behind him. "You said you would help me destroy that little blue brat. Now I only have one left!"

"Calm yourself, doctor," Reboot said calmly. "Everything is going according to plan."

"Calm myself?" Wily blustered. "How can I be calm? I should have finished that eighth robot instead of listening to you. At least use those other four toys of yours to even up the odds."

Reboot shook her head. "How little you understand, doctor. Do not worry yourself so much. Why don't you go boot up that little alien suit of yours that you're so excited about? Give them a little more of a challenge while I go and get things ready."

Doctor Wily crossed his arms. "So what, I'm your Robot Master now?"

"Do you want to defeat him or not?"

"And just what are these 'things' you're going to be getting ready?"

"You'll see," Reboot said. She turned her hazy pixel eyes to the screen as Rock and Erin left the boss room. "Or at the very least, they will see."


	39. Chapter 38

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Sage

Brawler stood looking out over the barren land of Hyrule from one of the broken down ramparts of Zelda's castle. Chibi clung to his shoulder. Behind him, he could hear various members of Ludwig's crew bustling about, coordinating with the other video game heroes and setting up defenses.

"I've made contact with the goddess Palutena in Skyworld," Zelda was informing Ludwig's Lakitu lieutenant. "Apparently, she and her forces are being overrun by demons at the moment."

"Is there any way we can get word out to my chancellor Toadsworth?" Peach was asking Samus.

"Some kid named Mike Jones just showed up at the border," a Goomba was telling a Koopa. "Says he wants to help. Doesn't look like much to me. All he brought was a baseball bat."

Brawler listened to all of this with minimal interest. He was too wrapped up in watching the horizon over which his brother and his companions had disappeared. Brawler let out a heavy sigh. "Can you still detect them, Chibi?"

"The boss's signal is very faint now, Satoru," Chibi said. "I will not be able to detect him any more in about two minutes."

Brawler slumped against the heavy stone. He remembered watching Erin fall from the sub into the trees below after saving him from a Bullet Bill. They still weren't anywhere closer to finding her. For all he knew, the Bombermen had already gotten to her. And now Reggie was off on some dangerous quest too, and all Brawler could do was sit and hope they were both okay.

"You okay, kid?"

Brawler looked up to see Luigi standing beside him.

"Oh, um," Brawler said, standing up straight. "I was just going to help with the—um . . ."

"Missing your brother?" Luigi asked knowingly.

Brawler sighed. "Yeah, kinda. My sister too."

Luigi smiled. He stood a little bit taller and thinner than Mario, but with a smaller mustache and a bright green shirt and hat. He leaned up against the ramparts beside Brawler. "Your name's Brawler, right?"

Brawler nodded. "Satoru, actually, but everyone calls me Brawler. And you're Luigi."

Luigi nodded. "You guys talked like my brother was some kind of big shot back before the crash."

"Yeah. I mean, you too, but not . . ."

"Not quite as much as Mario," Luigi said. He grinned and looked out at the horizon. "That figures," he said. "I guess we both tend to be the second bananas, don't we?"

Brawler scoffed. "Please, I'm totally gonna be the hero of this whole thing, just watch."

Chibi made a sarcastic noise from Brawler's shoulder.

"Sure thing, kid," Luigi said. "And I'll inherit a mansion someday."

"Actually, you do that."

Luigi raised an eyebrow. "Really? Is it nice?"

Brawler shrugged. "Completely infested with ghosts, but yeah, pretty nice."

Luigi cursed and shook his head. "Ghosts. Of course it had to be ghosts. Well, was it a good game at least?"

Brawler smiled. "More or less. Pretty hefty cult following. Even got a sequel."

"Nice!"

A red light beeped on Chibi's head. The robot perked his head up. "Somebody's coming," he said.

Brawler and Luigi looked at the little robot. "A glitch?"

Chibi shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "The signal's sort of glitchy, but . . . not." He pointed with his claw. "There."

A man appeared from a nearby grove of trees. He was dressed in fine aristocratic apparel with a top hat and tailcoat, and he clutched an ornate cane. He noticed his observers and tipped his hat to them. "Good morning, gentlemen," he shouted up in a thick British accent. "Doctor Henry Jekyll, at your service. Might I come in?"

* * *

Link slashed his way through a field of long grass. "Saya!" he shouted.

Reggie, Mario, and Simon stood nearby, consulting the map Zelda had given them. Ludwig lounged against a nearby tree, picking at his fang, while Zelda's knights stood guard.

"It should be around here somewhere," Reggie said. "The map says the old man's hideout is somewhere in this grass."

"Maybe he moved," Ludwig suggested.

Reggie scowled at the Koopaling. "You know, you could be helping."

"I am helping," Ludwig said. "I'm supervising."

"I thought you had magic," Mario said. "Why don't you use that?"

Ludwig shrugged. He flicked his wand and sent a few shapes of light at a patch of grass and blew it up. "There," he said. "I helped."

He glanced at the spot he had blasted and had to do a double take. "Umm, I think I actually found it."

Reggie, Simon, and Mario looked up. The knights turned and Link stopped slashing the grass. The seven heroes gathered around the hole in the ground that Ludwig had uncovered. A rough set of steps led down into the darkness.

Simon slapped Ludwig on the back, then yelped as a spike pierced his meaty palm. "Well done, lazy turtle. Now, let us descend into the depths."

Link led the way without a word. Mario and Simon followed, succeeded by Reggie and Ludwig. The knights took up the rear. At the bottom, they found themselves in a spacious chamber dug out of the earth, lit only by two torches positioned in the center of the room. In between the torches, an elderly man stood staring at them in surprise. He had a long overgrown beard and wore a ratty old red robe.

"Y-you found my lair?" he said. "How did . . . Um, never mind. What can I do for you, weary travelers?"

"Wise old sage," Link said, speaking up for the first time. His companions started with surprise. "We come to seek your guidance in our quest."

Mario tilted his head. "He actually talks?"

Reggie shrugged. "I figured this version was just a silent protagonist."

He glanced at the blue knight. "Don't look at me," the blue knight said. "This is the first I've heard from him."

Link cleared his throat. He looked back at his companions and crossed his arms.

Reggie, Mario, and the blue knight looked down. "Sorry, my lord," the blue knight said.

Link turned back to the old man. "Continue," he said.

The old man shifted uncomfortably. "Well, um, I don't really know much about the world outside this cave, but I do know it's dangerous to go alone." He pulled a long sword from somewhere within his robes. "Take this."

Link took the sword and held it above him in the air. After an awkward moment of holding his pose, he thanked the old man. "Come on, guys," he said, turning and heading out of the cave.

The rest of the team stared at each other, then back at the old man. "I don't suppose you all want weapons too?" he asked.

Simon held out his whip. "No thanks, I'm good."

Reggie held up his sword and Ludwig raised his wand. "Same," Reggie said.

The blue and red knights raised their hands. "We could use some weapons."

The old man searched around in his robes. "I guess I have this shield," he said, pulling out a red shield far too big for his robes.

The blue knight nodded to his companion. "You first, my lady."

The red knight took the shield and fitted it to her arm. "Nice," she said.

"And me?" the blue knight asked, expectantly.

The old man raised his hands. "All I have left down here is the shovel I used to dig the place." He held up a blue shovel.

The blue knight stared at the shovel, scratching at his armored chin. Finally, he grasped the shaft. "I'll take it."


	40. Chapter 39

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Intruder

Villager and Jazz sat in Prince Igul's throne room as the New Sega Masters stood around waiting for their fifth member. Jazz had taken a seat on a small cushy couch, while Villager examined the wings still attached to her back.

"Ow, quit pulling," Jazz said.

"Sorry," Villager said. "Just checking to see how well attached they were."

"Well, I can assure you they are very attached."

Nearby, Alex and his brother sat at the throne playing Rock, Paper, Scissors with each other. Igul lost every time. Gilius Thunderhead sat in Opa-Opa's cockpit, grumbling to himself as he tried to make heads or tails of the controls. Joe Musashi crouched by himself in the corner, forming his hands into a circle between his knees as he concentrated.

"Alright, I'm sick of waiting," Gilius said, clambering awkwardly out of Opa-Opa. "When's that lazy buffoon going to get here?"

Alex looked up from his game, which he'd just won with a well-placed paper. "To be fair, he's technically undead. So, he kind of has an excuse."

"Excuses, excuses. While he's busy getting resurrected, we've got a couple of Nintendoans who slipped through our border, which probably means a glitch could get in any minute too."

"If one hasn't already," Joe Musashi said quietly.

The group turned to look at him. Joe stepped out of the shadows, stepping soundlessly across the marble floor toward Villager and Jazz. He fingered the katana strapped to his back. "You two," he said. "You said that you were pushed in by a glitch, right?"

Villager and Jazz looked at each other, then slowly nodded.

"And you say you don't know where that glitch is right now?"

Gilius looked back and forth between Joe and the newcomers. He gripped his axe. "Are you saying they might have brought a glitch into our world?" He glared at Villager and Jazz. "If you two end up destroying everything we have worked to accomplish—"

"Hey, hey," Alex said, stepping in front of the newcomers. "That's enough, Gilius. These two are our guests. They're good guys in the Nintendo World."

Gilius spat. "The Nintendo World. Don't mean a thing. You remember what it was like, back in the old days. When Nintendo held control over the entire gaming world, and it was we who were the only ones who dared challenge them. Nintendo can't be trusted. The whole lot of them."

Villager and Jazz backed up. "Hey, wait a minute," Jazz said. "Nintendo and Sega have been friendly the past couple of years."

"That was Sonic's call," Joe said. "Not ours. He wanted to be part of Smash Bros. so badly, he left the rest of us behind."

Gilius turned to Alex. "I say we lock up these interlopers, and perform the Master Ceremony without the Altered Beast. We have four. Surely that's enough data to work with."

Alex looked uncomfortable. He glanced back and Villager and Jazz. "With only four, I don't know if it will be strong enough to reboot the Universe," he said.

"We have no other option," Joe said. "Every second we waste is another second for the glitch _they_ brought in to undo all of our defenses. We are the last pocket to survive and I'm not going to have it undone by these—"

A loud beep sounded from Opa-Opa's cockpit. The group turned to look at him. The living ship looked around, confused, for a second before turning and nodding in the direction of the throne room door. He chirped and flapped his wings.

"He says the Altered Beast is coming," Alex said, taking the opportunity to change the subject. "Brother, open the door."

Igul hurried to his throne and pressed a button, opening up the massive door at the end of the room.

"Well, it's about time," Gilius said, turning away from Villager and Jazz and facing the doorway. "You better have a darn good excuse, Beastie. We've been—"

Gilius stopped, his eyes widening. "Beast?" he asked. "What has happened to you?"

Joe, Alex, and Opa-Opa turned and backed away from the door as the Altered Beast stepped through. The musclebound Greek warrior appeared to be entirely made of blocky pixels, making his appearance fuzzy and nondescript. He smiled at the group gathered in front of him.

"So sorry," he said. "An enemy showed up. I guess you could say I had to reset myself."

Jazz caught her breath. "Stay away from him," she said. She stared at the pixelated figure before her. For some reason, the glitch's smooth voice without its stutters rang familiar to her ears but she couldn't put her finger on it. "That's Reset, the glitch who brought us here. He's taken over the Altered Beast."

Reset smiled at her. "Oh, Jazzy baby, you always could see right through me, couldn't you?"

Gilius glared back at Villager and Jazz. "We were right. You two did bring the glitches in here."

"Enough, Gilius," Alex said. "We just need to stop this glitch before he gets the chance to spread himself."

Gilius raised his axe. "I'll deal with it," he said. He charged across the room, swinging his axe at the Altered Beast's chest.

"Gilius, wait!"

The Altered Beast smiled. He put up his hand to block the axe, which sliced through his fingers and buried itself in his chest. The damaged portions shimmered and glitched out before starting to reform. The pixels from his body started to work their way up Gilius's axe.

Gilius's eyes widened. He pulled on the axe, trying to pull it out, but it was stuck fast. Finally, he let go of it as it disappeared into the glitch's body.

"Is that it?" the Altered Beast said. He punched the dwarf in the stomach, throwing him across the room. He marched toward his opponent, flexing his thick arms.

Dark-clad arms wrapped themselves around the huge warrior as Joe Musashi silently emerged from the shadows behind him. Holding the glitch with one arm, he reached with the other to draw his katana and slice it across the Altered Beast's throat. The Altered Beast collapsed, gagging as his throat reformed. Joe held him down, allowing Gilius to get to his feet.

"You stole my axe, you filthy glitch!" Gilius roared. He raised his foot to stomp on the Altered Beast's head.

The glitch smiled a second before Gilius's foot connected. His pixels dispersed, spreading over both Joe and Gilius. The two warriors stared down at themselves in shock as the pixels consumed them both. In a matter of seconds, they both disappeared inside their captive's body.

The Altered Beast rose from the ground. His chest started to expand and the muscles on his arms swelled. The purple tunic he wore ripped at the shoulder and tore away, revealing humongous ripped muscles in pixel-quality definition.

"Power up!" he said in the Altered Beast's deep booming bass.

The warrior coughed. "Sorry," he said, reverting back to the voice of Reset. "Programming."

He concentrated, and pixellized versions of Joe and Gilius emerged from his sides and stood at attention beside him. "Hmm, three beat 'em ups," he said, glancing at his new hosts. He turned his head to Alex and his brother. "You Sega people didn't have very much range back then, did you?"

Alex stared at his former companions in disbelief. He shook his head and glared at the glitch. "You'd be surprised. Opa-Opa, show him what a good shoot 'em up can do."


	41. Chapter 40

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Forty: The Adventures

Opa-Opa opened fire. Reset and his two minions charged forward toward the heroes.

"Guards!" Prince Igul shouted, pressing a button on his throne.

Secret doors opened all around the throne room, and hordes of soldiers poured in, surrounding Reset on all sides. Reset's three bodies hardly paused, sweeping aside their foes with swings of Gilius's axe, sharp and piercing shurikens, and the Altered Beast's enormous fists. Each warrior hit started to break apart into their individual pixels. Every once in a while, a shot from Opa-Opa would hit one of the three enemies and they would stop and flash for a second.

"What do we do?" Igul asked. "We can't touch them or else we'll get absorbed or destroyed by them."

Opa-Opa beeped and hopped up and down. His cockpit flipped open.

"Run?" Alex asked. "But what about our soldiers?"

"Call them off," Jazz said. "Don't let Reset gain even more power. We've got to get out of here and regroup."

Igul and Alex looked at each other. They lowered their heads and sighed.

"Guards," Igul said, climbing into the ship. "Away. Leave the intruders alone."

Alex climbed up behind him, followed by Jazz and Villager as the guards started giving the glitches a wide berth. Once the heroes were inside, Opa-Opa shut himself and took off, zipping away across the room while letting off one last volley at the glitch.

"Where to, now?" Villager asked as he and Jazz squeezed together in the backseat.

Alex shrugged, scanning his instruments as they flew. "Scrooge McDuck, Aladdin, Ecco. Anybody with enough gaming power to help us fight off this glitch. Anybody except . . ."

He and his brother gave each other significant looks.

* * *

Brawler stood by the side of Zelda's throne alongside Luigi, Samus, Peach, Ganondorf, and the rest of Ludwig's Koopa army, watching as Doctor Jekyll slowly crossed the throne room, limping on his ornate cane. Brawler glanced at Chibi-Robo on his shoulder. "Are you sure he's not a glitch?" he asked.

"Pretty sure," Chibi said. "He's a little . . . glitch, I guess. But he's not a full-on glitch."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I suppose it could be that his game was just very poorly designed," Chibi explained. "Many early games were like that, full of bugs and glitches and such."

"Should we be trusting him?"

"I suppose so. I mean, if anyone has reason to hate the glitches, it might be the games most destroyed by them."

Brawler studied the distinguished gentleman. "I hope you're right," he said.

At Zelda's signal, Impa stepped forward to greet the newcomer. "Welcome to Hyrule," the old woman said. "Princess Zelda wishes me to inquire as to your purpose here."

Doctor Jekyll swept his top hat off his head and bowed to Impa. "Good evening, madam," he said. "I am most pleased to make your acquaintance. I am Doctor Henry Jekyll of the books, movies, and video game _Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde_. I'm sure you've heard of me. I have come to offer my assistance to you noble heroes in this time of need."

Impa scratched at her chin, studying Doctor Jekyll. "Well, young man, you have come at a most opportune time. We find ourselves in a rather tight spot and in need of some assistance. What kind of support can you provide to us?"

"Well," Doctor Jekyll said, blushing, "I'm, um, unfortunately not very good as a fighter." He held up his staff. "All I have is this, and my programmers, well, didn't exactly give it a whole lot of punch. But what I am proficient in is the finer arts. As you might have guess by my name, I am trained in the medical arts, if you are in need of a healer, and I also have a rather strong adeptness for strategy. Might those skills be of any use to you?"

Impa studied the man's face as he spoke, attempting to detect any form of deceit or malice. She glanced back at her mistress. "If you will excuse me, young man," she said, "I will consult with my lady."

"Of course," Doctor Jekyll replied genially.

Impa hurried back to Princess Zelda to talk over the matter. While the others deliberated, Brawler watched the newcomer. He seemed uneasy, shifting his feet constantly. As Brawler watched, he started to think the man was moving his feet a little too much. It seemed as though there was a certain deliberateness to the movement, as though Doctor Jekyll was intent on covering as much of the ground around him as possible.

After a minute of discussion with Zelda, Peach, and Ganon, Impa returned to the newcomer. "As advisor to my lady, Princess Zelda, I welcome you to her castle. Your services will be greatly appreciated."

She held out her hand in greeting, but Doctor Jekyll recoiled away from her touch. "Sorry," he said, catching her expression. "I'm a little, um, frail, I'm afraid. Another drawback of my game designer's ineptitude."

Brawler's eyes narrowed as he watched the doctor step forward and greet Princess Zelda. "Something's not right about this guy," he said.

* * *

Reggie, Link, and Simon stood side by side, facing off against a large green dragon with a unicorn horn. Their knight companions stood behind them, using their new weapons to deflect the dragon's fire breath. The dragon stood before a heavy metal door, with large walls of blocks on either side of it, forcing the battle into a bottleneck.

Reggie lunged, grazing the dragon's neck with his sword. The dragon roared in indignation and let loose a blast of white-hot heat. The blue knight jumped in front of Reggie and deflected the fireball with his shovel, sending it careening into the wall of blocks nearby. Simon lashed out with his whip, stinging the dragon several times with the sharp edges around the weapon. Link kept his distance, fire bolts of energy from his sword at the dragon.

Two figures appeared over the dragon's head on top of the walls of blocks. Mario and Ludwig nodded to each other. Ludwig leaped first, coming down on the dragon's back with his spiked shell facedown. The dragon yelped in pain and slumped to the ground. It whipped its head around to get to its assailant, but Ludwig had already slipped off of its back and placed himself behind the line of swordsmen.

Mario went next. As the dragon sniffed around for its missing foe, Mario leapt from the wall and came down with his foot on top of the dragon's head. The dragon's eyes went wide as it froze for a moment. Then, in a flash, it was gone, leaving behind Mario standing before the door.

Mario put his thumb up. "Oh, yeah," he said.

Link nodded. "Thank you, my friend," he said. He replaced his sword within its scabbard and led the way past Mario to the door and pushed it open.

Beyond the door, a large square room of similar dimensions as the last held a shining golden triangle on a pedestal in its center. Link approached it, picked it up, and held it in the air for a second, like he had done with the sword.

Ludwig leaned in to Reggie. "Does he have to do that every time we get something new."

Reggie shrugged. "Better than Toad telling us we're in the wrong castle all the time."

Ludwig nodded. "That's fair."

Link put the Triforce piece away in his bag. "Come," he said. "On to the next dungeon."

Mario glanced at the knights on either side of him. "How many dungeons do we have to go through, exactly?"

The red knight and blue knight looked at each other. The blue knight shrugged.

"Several," the red knight responded.


	42. Chapter 41

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Forty-One: The Rest

Ike swung his massive golden sword.

"Erin, watch it!"

Erin dodged out of the way, carefully watching her steps so that she didn't slip on the maze of thin pipes that made up the floor.

A series of blue orbs struck Ike in the shoulder. The bulky soldier grunted and turned toward Rock. He lifted his sword but Erin surprised him by shooting him from behind. The warrior roared in frustration, but he had neither the speed nor the wide range of attacks to deal with two projectile users from opposite sides. Ike swung his sword futilely before exploding in a burst of pixels.

Erin took a deep breath and slumped against the pipe wall behind her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd taken a real rest. Rock smiled and snatched up the Ike amiibo that had appeared.

"Last one," he said, holding it up.

He glanced at the Robot Master left behind, a red robot with a white visor of some kind stretching out over his face. He reached down and touched the Master's shoulder. After a couple seconds, he hurried over to Erin.

"We got it," he said.

Erin smiled. She glanced out at the night sky just beyond the cube of pipes they found themselves in. "It's a nice night, isn't it?" she said. She slid down the wall and sat down. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt too much to call it a day."

Rock checked his power supply. "Yeah, I guess now's a good time to recharge."

He sat down next to her and placed the Ike amiibo on the ground. Erin dug around in her pockets and set the amiibos for Mega Man, Sonic, Toon Link, Bowser, King Dedede, and Sheik beside it.

Rock studied the row of figurines. "So, all of these are video game heroes?" he asked.

"Kind of," Erin said. "Sonic, Ike, and Toon Link are. Bowser's a villain. And Sheik's . . . well, it's kind of hard to explain. She's a supporting character, I guess."

Rock picked up King Dedede. "And the penguin with a hammer?"

"Well," Erin said. She studied the figure, trying to find the right description. "I guess you could call him a villain, but also kind of not."

Rock raised an eyebrow. "That clears things up."

Erin shook her head. "He's a bit complex. He saved everyone in the last two tournaments, so I guess you could call him a hero."

Rock tossed the statue in the air and set it back down. He picked up Toon Link instead. "So what kind of a name is Toon Link?"

Erin smiled. "That's just to differentiate him from regular Link."

"There are two different Links?"

"Technically, there are a lot of Links. But only two who take part in the tournament."

Rock turned the figure over in his hand. "Okay," he said.

Erin looked down at her gun arm and started fiddling with the controls. She laughed a little to herself. "You know, if Reggie were here, he probably would have given you the whole rundown of the history of all the different Links. And then, Brawler would have interrupted him because he was talking too much."

Erin stopped messing with her arm and looked at the wall opposite to her. She let out a heavy breath and her eyes glistened.

Rock watched her. "You miss them."

Erin blinked, looking away. "O-of course I do. They're my brothers. We've been together for—for years. They're . . . they're . . . they're everything I've ever known."

She wiped at her eyes, trying to act as if everything were fine. But Rock could see that her eyes were turning red and her breathing was getting shallower.

"I mean, I don't . . . We're not even closer . . . ," she stopped and met Rock's gaze. "They're going to be okay, right?"

Rock held her gaze for a minute. Her big black eyes glistened, reflecting the stars around them.

"I—I'm sure they'll be okay," he said.

Erin dropped her gaze. She focused on the line of amiibos in front of her. She picked up Sheik and wiped at a smudge on the ninja's turban.

Rock looked at the Toon Link statue in his hand. He held it out before her face. "Maybe they're hanging out with me right now," he made the figure say in a silly voice. "Out in . . . um . . . big-headed, cat-eye people land."

Erin stared at the figure for a second, her eyebrow creeping up her forehead. Then, without warning, she cracked up laughing.

She looked up at Rock, her face red. "Big-headed, cat-eye people land?"

Rock looked away, a little embarrassed. "What?"

Erin held up her Sheik amiibo. "It's called Hyrule, dum-dum," she made Sheik say in a similar voice.

Rock raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Erin smiled.

"Really?" Rock said. "We're mocking me now?"

Erin nodded, laughing. Rock shook his head. "Ha, ha," he said.

He nudged Erin in the side. Erin nudged him back. The two laughed for a minute before settling back against the wall of pipes behind them. Rock looked at his Toon Link figurine one more time before setting it back down. He sighed and leaned his head back.

"So what now?" he said. "Where does the game go from here?"

"I'm not sure," Erin said. "This game had eight levels, but Reboot said we only had seven amiibos to collect. Maybe we just have to face a regular Robot Master this time. Or Reboot herself. Then after that is Doctor Wily's Castle."

Rock nodded. "Doctor Wily's Castle long this time?"

Erin closed her eyes and leaned her head back. "You have no idea. How about just a little bit of rest before we get to that?"

Rock smiled. "Alright," he said.

A harsh wind blew in their faces. Erin covered her face as her red hair fanned out all around her. Rock squinted through the wind as a large one-man airship loomed into their view, blocking out the stars. Doctor Wily sat in the cockpit, his mustached lip curled into a wicked smile.

"Here's an idea," Doctor Wily said through a loudspeaker. "Why don't we skip the castle, and the last level, and just get on with the main event."

"Wily!" Rock said, getting to his feet. Erin got to her feet beside him. "What are you doing here?"

Doctor Wily held out his hands. "Is that any way to greet your dear old Uncle Albert?"

The mad doctor pulled a switch inside his cockpit, and a pair of gun turrets opened up underneath him.

"Looks like I'm going to have to teach you and your girlfriend some manners."

The gun turrets lit up with energy.

"Move," Rock said, scooping up Toon Link, King Dedede, and Sonic, and diving to the right. Erin did the same, Wily's laser fire missing her by inches. Erin whipped out her gamepad and tapped Sheik and Mega Man to it. Rock and Erin stood side by side, the amiibos flanking them. Rock cocked his gun arm and looked at Erin.

"Up for one more fight?"

Erin gave him a tired smile. "I guess I can go for another round," she said.

The pair pointed their guns at Doctor Wily and fired.


	43. Chapter 42

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Forty-Two: The Alien

Erin and Rock fired. Their amiibos of Sheik and Mega Man pelted the enemy craft with projectile fire as well. Doctor Wily's airship shuddered but held against the attacks.

"Is that all you've got?" Doctor Wily asked.

He charged his weapon again and fired. The four fighters dodged, returning fire in turn. Erin dug through her pockets and pulled out Samus, Fox, and Pit, the three amiibos she'd used atop the Deep Diver. She tapped all three to her gamepad and three new allies popped into existence beside her.

"Seven?" Doctor Wily growled. He sneered at Rock. "Come on, Rocky," he said. "I thought you were tough enough to take me on yourself. Now you have to rely on this many people just to stand a chance. I think you're slipping."

"Not a chance, Wily," Rock said. He and his amiibo double raised their guns in unison and blasted Wily's cockpit window, leaving a set of spiderweb cracks across it. Wily fired back, but found himself bombarded from the other side by Erin and Samus. Fox crouched low and targeted the gun turrets, blasting them into nubs. Pit flew up high and landed a well-placed arrow in the center of Wily's cockpit, shattering the glass entirely. Sheik appeared in a puff of smoke and tore the old inventor from his seat, throwing him onto the floor of pipes.

Rock stepped up to the old man, keeping his gun trained on Wily's face. Wily put his hands up. "I—I surrender," he said.

"Fourteen," Rock said. "Fourteen Robot Masters that you've forced to act against their will. Fourteen that I've had to . . . I've had to . . ."

"L-look, Rocky," Wily trembled. "I-I-I know I've done wrong. But I swear, if you let me go, I'll never—"

"Let you go?" Rock's eyes flared. He pressed the gun up against his old master. "Like heck I'd ever let you go. I should kill you right now for what you've done." He looked back at Erin. "There . . . there's going to be even more games after this. With even more Robot Masters. Whatever promises you try to make, I know they're all just lies. If I let you go, it's just going to keep happening, over and over and over again."

Rock knelt down, pressing his face inches from Wily's. His eyes were red and bloodshot. "Now, knowing all of that, _Uncle Albert_ ," he said, pressing his gun into Wily's chin, "why would I ever, in good conscience, ever let you go? Why should I ever let you live?"

Erin knelt beside Rock, placing her hand on his shoulder. She didn't say anything, but she watched as Rock held Wily's gaze, anger and frustration and resentment roiling through his robotic eyes. Wily sneered at his creation. "Because you're the good guy," he said. "You've spent your whole life listening to Thomas's ridiculous notions of goodness and honesty and justice. You can't stand killing, I see that every time you have to put down my Robot Masters. But each of those were mercy killings, in the end. Killing me would be purely out of revenge. And you just don't have what it takes to do something like that."

Rock pressed the gun harder. "Maybe not," he said. "But it's still what needs to be done." Rock placed his hand on the barrel to charge it. Before he did so, he hesitated, his hand hanging over the trigger.

Doctor Wily smiled. That one second was all he needed. He knocked Rock's gun away and scrambled backwards, keying in a combination on a device attached to his wrist. The old doctor rose into the air, wind whipping all around him. "I told you you couldn't do it," he said. "And now, you can witness the power of my true form."

"Your true form?" Rock said, shielding his eyes.

Doctor Wily smiled. His image flickered. His face stretched and elongated. Green scales appeared on his forehead and spread across his entire face. His nose disappeared followed by his wispy hair and mustache. His arms and legs grew, elongating to twice their size. His hands and feet became green and scaly too, his fingers and toes merging until he only had three digits on each hand and foot. His white lab coat and office clothes disappeared, replaced by some kind of purple armor.

Rock's eyes widened. "You're . . . you're an . . . alien?"

Alien Wily laughed, his voice coming out tinny and echoing, as if recording through a microphone. "Yes, my child," the alien said. "I disguised myself as a human scientist and allied myself with Doctor Light in order to build myself an army of war machines for my eventual invasion. You claim that you and your brothers were created to help humanity. Bah! What I made your brothers do is what they were always meant to do!"

Rock stared at the alien, too stunned to speak or even move.

Erin grabbed Rock's arm. "Rock, he's lying," she said.

Erin's words barely registered. Rock continued to stare at Doctor Wily in horror. "Wh-what?" he said.

"He's lying!" Erin said. "The alien form. It's just an illusion. A hologram. He's trying to trick you."

"Silence, girl!" the alien shouted. He stretched forth his hand and a ball of green light struck Erin in the chest, throwing her back against the wall.

The alien stretched out his hand to Rock. "She is the liar, Rock. Come. Join me. You know that this is what you were truly made for."

Rock stared up at the alien, then down at Erin. His eyes hardened. He bent down and picked up Erin's gamepad off the ground. "Right now," he said, "I don't really care who's lying. I just know, you're going down."

He tapped amiibo after amiibo to the gamepad. In seconds, Sonic, King Dedede, Toon Link, Ike, and Bowser had joined their fellow amiibos standing behind Rock. Erin rubbed her chest and got to her feet.

"Are you alright," Rock asked her.

Erin smiled and nodded.

The alien scowled. "Then, unfortunately," he said, "you have failed in your purpose. You must be dismantled."

He held out his hands and opened fire. Rock, Erin, and the amiibos charged. King Dedede launched into the air, coming down with the full weight of a fat, hammer-wielding penguin on the alien's back. Rock, Erin, Samus, and the Mega Man amiibo took up positions around Doctor Wily and blasted him with shot after shot. Toon Link and Ike came in with two swift strikes of their swords.

The alien let out a harsh and unearthly cry and started to glow green. He let out a blast of energy, disintegrating King Dedede into a cloud of pixels. He fired off a round of energy blasts, wiping out Ike, Fox, and Samus. Rock and Erin kept firing, their amiibos continuing their attack. Bowser slammed into the alien, biting into his slimy green flesh. The alien pressed both hands into the giant Koopa's stomach and blasted him out of existence. He turned back to Rock and Erin only to find himself pounded in the chest by another volley of laser fire. The alien stumbled and his image flickered. Sonic jumped into the air and spun into a ball, slamming into the alien for one final hit.

The alien fell to the ground. The image blinked and vanished, leaving behind ordinary old Doctor Wily. Rock held up his hand and the remaining amiibos lowered their weapons. Doctor Wily staggered to his feet, holding up his hands as Rock stepped toward him.

"Now . . . now look here, Rocky," Doctor Wily said. "Let's talk about this."

"No more talking," Rock said. "I think you've said enough, Uncle Albert."

Rock stared at his old adversary, rubbing his hand along his gun arm. Wily followed the movement, then met Rock's eyes. "You're not really going to do it, are you?" he asked.

"No," a woman's voice said. "I am."

A green pixelated sword protruded from the old doctor's chest. Rock stumbled back in shock. Reboot withdrew her sword, and Doctor Wily slumped to the ground. His body twitched and flickered as the wound on his chest spread outward, breaking apart into individual pixels. He looked up at Rock and stretched out his hand. "Rock, please, help—"

His hands and face were smothered in pixels and the mad scientist vanished into thin air. Reboot held out her hand and the scattered pixels absorbed into her body.

"Much better," she said. "Now that he's out of the way, I have some more data to collect."


	44. Chapter 43

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Forty-Three: The Flight

Brawler and Chibi-Robo stood against the wall in a rundown corridor of Zelda's castle. The corridor stretched on a few lengths, where it opened up into a large open hall. Doctor Jekyll paced up and down the room, seemingly lost in thought. Brawler stood just out of sight of the doctor, watching his movements intently.

"He's up to something, Chibi," Brawler whispered.

"How do you know, Brawler?" Chibi replied. "He looks like he's just pacing to me. The boss does that sometimes when he's thinking about things."

"Yeah, but this isn't like that," Brawler said. "Look at him. He's paying very close attention to his feet. Almost as if every single step he takes is deliberate and calculated. Watch."

As he spoke, the doctor paused, holding his foot in the air as if uncertain as to where to put it down. He moved the foot left, then right, then back again before setting it back down and carrying on.

"It's like he's trying to cover every single square foot of floor in this entire castle."

"So what if he is?" Chibi asked. "Maybe he's obsessive-compulsive or something. It doesn't seem particularly sinister. Even if he were acting against us, what would he even gain by it."

Brawler scratched his chin. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just on edge. What kind of data do you have on his game?"

Chibi processed for a moment as he sorted through his data. "Not much that I can find. The best results I found were an old Angry Video Game Nerd episode about it."

"Keep looking," he said. He glanced back into the room. "Looks like he's about done, which means he'll be heading this way. Time to move."

* * *

Link plunged his sword into the back of the giant monster. The hulking beast roared in agony before collapsing to the ground and disappearing in a burst of light. Reggie, Simon, Ludwig, and the Blue Knight fell from the monster's claws.

"Ow," the Blue Knight said, his companion rushing to his side.

Ludwig sat up and rubbed his back. "You couldn't have done that sooner?"

Link shrugged. "Come," he said. "The next piece of the triforce awaits!"

He turned away from them and hurried through the now open doorway.

Mario helped Reggie and Simon to their feet. "This guy gets more personality in later games, right?" he asked.

"Kind of," Reggie said. "I'm pretty sure the one you know was his great, great, grandfather or something."

"No, no, couldn't be," Simon said. "The Hero of Time was killed as a child in this timeline, remember?"

Mario raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Reggie shook his head. "Never mind. Too complicated."

Link reemerged from the room holding up another piece of the triforce.

"Huzzah!" the two knights shouted.

"Great," Ludwig muttered. "Are we done yet?"

"Not even close," Link said. "To the next dungeon."

Ludwig groaned. Link marched past his companions and back the way they'd come. The rest hung their heads and followed after.

* * *

Opa-Opa zipped through the corridors, Villager, Jazz, Alex, and Igul in tow. The drawbridge opened and the winged ship zoomed out into the open air. They sped over the open green fields toward the mountains in the distance.

"Are they following us?" Alex asked.

Jazz craned her neck. "I'm not sure. There's some coming out of the castle, but—"

Opa-Opa wobbled and went into a tailspin. His passengers clung to their seats as the ship spun toward the ground.

"What's happening?" Villager asked.

"The wing!" Prince Igul pointed.

Villager and Jazz looked out through the cockpit window to see Joe Musashi clinging to the side of the ship, the blade of his katana piercing straight through Opa-Opa's wing. Opa-Opa squeaked with pain.

The ground rushed at them fast.

"Brace yourselves!" Alex screamed.

Opa-Opa hit the ground hard. His passengers slammed around inside his cockpit until the visor popped open and they were spat out onto the grass-covered ground. Jazz landed hard on a wing and she cried out in pain. Villager and Alex ended up atop one another, and Igul slammed his head hard against a tree.

"Ow," Villager said, rubbing his side as he and Alex got off of each other. Joe yanked his sword from Opa-Opa and left the ship unmoving. The shinobi stepped slowly and menacingly across the grass toward his prey.

"Joe," Alex said, placing himself in front of his unconscious brother. "Come on. We're friends, aren't we?"

"Joe's gone, Alex," the ninja responded in Reset's voice. He held up his katana, blood dripping from its blade. "What a day this will be. Sega's last stronghold will fall and I will claim the power of their five so-called 'new masters.'"

He moved so that Alex could see the wrecked form of Opa-Opa, the wound in his wing already starting to produce pixels.

Joe held his blade to Alex's throat. "You're next," he said.

"Reset, wait."

Joe hesitated, turning to Jazz. She got to her feet, supported by Villager. She rubbed at her bent wing.

"What do you want, Jazz?"

His tone conveyed irritation at being interrupted, but still he hesitated, as though Jazz's voice had an entrancing effect on him.

Jazz looked eyes with Reset, starring him down. "We knew each other, didn't we? Before the crash."

Alex glanced sideways at his companion. "Jazz, what are you doing?"

Joe pressed the sword closer to Alex. "Silence."

"That's what you said," Jazz pressed. "When you captured me and Villager. You acted like we had done something to you. And then, at the castle, you called me, you called me . . . Jazzy baby." She shook her head, trying to remember. "You were, um, Guh . . . Gah . . . Gary, I think."

Reset lowered his sword, turning toward Jazz menacingly. "Gary?" he breathed. He pointed his sword at her. "Gary! You pathetic, sniveling little b—"

Reset froze midsentence. He turned, and Villager and Jazz could see a stone tomahawk sticking out of his back. Before the glitch could act any further, he was bombarded by a hail of similar tomahawks, each one piercing his ninja armor. Finally, Reset fell to the ground. His form became fuzzy and his pixels dissipated, leaving behind the ordinary form of Joe Musashi.

A young caveman zipped past on a skateboard, waving another tomahawk in the air. He stopped in front of Alex and hopped off the board. "Yay!" he said. "Tom-Tom beat bad man!"


	45. Chapter 44

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Forty-Four: The Hidden

Rock stared in disbelief.

"Y-you . . ."

Erin raised her cannon arm. "What are you doing here, Reboot?"

The green glitch laughed, her ponytail of pixels waving about behind her head. "I think we're about done with this game, don't you?" she said. "Oh, yes, I very much think so."

Reboot snapped her fingers. The square room of pipes looking out into space disappeared around them, leaving them all standing in a blank white hub world.

Reboot snapped her fingers again and four doors appeared behind her. Each one bore a different symbol on it. On the furthest door, a red-and-white target appeared. On the next, six yellow lines facing each other in a circle. The third door bore the words "GAME STOP" in red and white lettering. And the last door displayed what looked like a yellow shopping tag.

The glitch held up four amiibo figurines between her fingers. "I have four more special trophies to give away. Beat the game behind each of these doors and claim your fabulous prizes."

She threw the amiibos into the air. They hung in space for a moment before each zipping toward a different door and disappearing inside it.

Reboot laughed again. "Thank you both for playing," she said. "Have a nice day."

With that, Reboot evaporated into a swarm of pixels and disappeared.

Rock and Erin stared at the spot where she stood for several minutes. Erin's shoulders slumped and Rock let out a groan.

"No rest for the weary, I guess," Erin said, sinking to the ground.

Rock sat down beside her. "I suppose we could stop for a minute or two. To plan, I mean."

"Yeah," Erin said, breathing heavily. "A plan sounds good."

She glanced up at the amiibos still standing at attention behind them. She got out her gamepad and deactivated them all. "For the time being," she said.

Rock and Erin sat in silence, staring up at the four doors in front of them. Neither of them said anything for a long time.

"So what do you suppose 'Game Stop' is supposed to mean?" Rock finally asked.

Erin shrugged. "A code or something, I guess. What about the weird line circle? Is that supposed to be a star or something?"

Rock smiled slightly. He studied the door. "Kinda looks like me when I lose a life," he said. "You know, if I burst into lines instead of stars."

Erin nodded her head listlessly. "So which one do you think we should do first?"

Rock stared at the doors, his eyes moving back and forth across them. He raised his hand and pointed at the last door. "The shopping tag," he said. "Seems easiest."

Erin looked at the door, her face devoid of emotion. "Sounds good," she said. "Shopping tag it is." She laid down against the blank formless white. "We'll start in five minutes."

Rock nodded and followed suit. "Five minutes. Got it."

Within seconds, Erin was snoring and Rock's power had shut down with a soft beep.

* * *

The caveman Tom-Tom hopped around with glee. "Tom-Tom saved the day!"

Alex, Jazz, and Villager stared at each other. "Do you, uh, know this guy?" Villager asked Alex.

"I, uh," Alex stuttered.

He would have said more, but at that moment Opa-Opa got to his feet. The robot was now almost entirely covered in pixels.

"Okay, okay," Reset's voice echoed from within the ship's cockpit. "I'll admit, the little ape-man surprised me. But don't think you'll get lucky a second time."

The ship's wings started flapping, but Opa-Opa still had enough control to keep him from taking off. Alex took the hint.

"Time to run," he shouted. "Grab Joe!"

Villager and Jazz nodded, rushing to the shinobi's side. Alex hurried over to his unconscious brother and draped him over his shoulder.

"Tom-Tom!" he shouted. "Is there somewhere safe we can hide."

The caveman stopped dancing around. "Oh, yes!" he said. "Tom-Tom has cave!"

He remounted his skateboard. "Hero people will follow. Hurry!"

The young boy skated away, Alex, Villager, and Jazz hurrying after him. A moment later, Reset took full control of his new host and took off into the air after them.

"Run! Run! As fast as you can!" he laughed maniacally. He let loose a volley of laser fire that vaporized the trees around them.

Tom-Tom weaved between the trees like a pro, as if he knew every twist and turn the forest had to offer. Alex, Villager, and Jazz tried their best to keep up, constantly staying one step ahead of their pursuer despite their burdens.

"Come on, guys," Reset called after them. "I just want to play around a little. There's no need to run."

Tom-Tom spun on his skateboard and chucked a pair of hatchets at the ship. Opa-Opa swerved to the side to avoid them and ran right into a tree.

"Come," Tom-Tom said, pulling aside a thick patch of brush. "Before bad ship recovers."

Villager, Jazz, and Alex dove inside, finding themselves in a dark cave lit by a small fire in the center. Tom-Tom dove in behind them and let the brush hide their exit.

A young girl in a fur bikini stood as the group entered. "Tom-Tom!" she said. "Where you go?"

Tom-Tom held his finger to his mouth as he pulled the side of the brush open. The bright colors of Opa-Opa flashed by momentarily.

Tom-Tom let go and turned back to the crowd in the cave. "You be safe now," he said. "Bad ship not find you."

* * *

High in the mountains surrounding Prince Igul's kingdom, a pair of blue blurs sped through the trees at top speed. Upon reaching a ridge overlooking the castle, the two blurs came to a screeching halt.

Stretching his legs, Sonic the Hedgehog gazed out over the landscape, a grin spreading over his face. Beside him, an almost perfect doppelganger of himself stood just a few inches shorter and with a slightly more rotund body.

"So, what do you think, Me?" the first Sonic asked, looking at his companion. "Should we drop in and see how my old buddy Alex is doing? Tell him about our upcoming 25th Anniversary game?"

The second Sonic listened then nodded. He glanced out at the castle before them. His eyes widened and he pointed wordlessly.

"What is it?" the first Sonic asked. Sonic followed his doppelganger's finger and spotted an army marching out of the palace, heading in the direction of a line of smoke rising from the trees on the other end of the valley.

"Looks like there's some trouble going on," Sonic said. "Come on, let's go find out what the problem is."

In a flash, the two Sonics sped away, down the ridge toward the castle.


	46. Chapter 45

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Forty-Five: The Transformation

Link, Reggie, Mario, and their companions stepped into the chamber containing the triforce piece.

"This should leave us with only one left, right?" Mario said.

Link nodded, stepping up to the pedestal and taking the piece. "Yep," he said. "That's it."

"Then let's get going," Simon said. "Here's hoping nothing major's happened at the castle since we've been gone."

* * *

Brawler was working on reinforcing a section of the wall when Samus approached him from behind.

"How did you know I'm a woman?" she said, making him jump.

Brawler turned. "Uh, what?"

Samus pointed her gun at his chest. "I have kept my identity a secret for many years. How do you and your brother know who I am?"

Brawler stuttered. "Um, I just, uh, I thought everybody knew," he said.

Samus pressed her gun harder. "No one knows my identity," she said. "How do you know?"

"You reveal your identity at the end of your first game, right after you destroy the Space Pirates and Mother Brain."

Samus lowered her gun in surprise. "The Space Pirates? Mother Brain? You know of them?"

"Yeah," Brawler said. "They're your worst enemies."

Samus studied Brawler for a second. "And . . . the one named Ridley?"

"Yeah, him too. He keeps getting passed over for the Smash Tournament, but that's its own issue altogether."

Samus looked at Brawler curiously. "Smash Tournament?" she lowered her gun. "You are a strange little man, aren't you?"

"Strange?" Brawler said.

Samus glanced around. "Where is your tiny robotic friend?"

"He's on Ludwig's airship," Brawler said. "Doing some, um, research."

"On our guest?" Samus asked.

"Doctor Jekyll?"

Samus nodded.

Brawler bit his lip. He had intended to keep his suspicions between himself and Chibi until they knew more. "Yeah, we, uh, think there's something odd about him."

Samus nodded. "I've had my suspicions about him as well. You have observed his strange movements?"

"Yeah. He seems to be trying to cross every square inch of the castle."

"I've noticed the same. Do you know his current location?"

Brawler shrugged. "I, uh, last saw him . . . somewhere in the east wing, I think."

Samus tapped some information into the console built into her arm. After a few seconds, she muttered something to herself. "That means he has covered most of the castle. If that is his goal, whatever he is planning may be about to begin."

Brawler considered for a moment. "You think we should go check it out."

Samus charged her gun arm and marched off without a word. Brawler watched her for a second before tapping his watch. "Chibi," he said. "I'm going to the east wing. The situation could be escalating."

Brawler and Samus ran through the corridors of the east wing of Zelda's castle. They had covered almost every inch of ground and still they hadn't found the doctor anywhere. They turned a corner and almost ran into Luigi.

"Whoa," the plumber said. "What's the rush, guys."

Samus grunted at Brawler, refusing to speak. "Um," Brawler said, "Luigi, have you seen Doctor Jekyll anywhere?"

"Doctor Jekyll?" Luigi raised an eyebrow. "Sure," he said. "I saw him heading up to the tower with Ganon about five minutes ago."

Brawler and Samus locked eyes. They both had the same thought. "Thank you," Brawler said, as he and Samus rushed past.

"Hey, what's going on?" Luigi said, running after them.

"We're not sure yet," Brawler shouted back.

The three heroes hurried through the castle until they came to the stairs leading up into the tower. Despite the rickety and unstable structure of the tower, they raced up the steps two at a time. Finally, they reached the top to find Ganon standing alone, staring at a point above them.

"Ganon," Brawler said through heaving breaths, "Where's Doctor Jekyll."

The giant pig glanced down at them, a slight grin spreading across his porcine face, but ignored their question.

Luigi tapped Brawler's shoulder. "Um, guys," he said.

Brawler and Samus turned. Doctor Jekyll sat high above them, lounging on the sloped roof of the tower. "Well," he said in his thick British accent. "Lookie here. I guess I'll have an audience for my grand entrance, eh, Ganon?"

"How did he get up there?" Brawler asked. "I didn't think you could reach that area in game."

"It is beyond the layout of the game's code, yes," Ganon said, his thick and gravelly voice heavy in the high altitude. "Practically unreachable. Just perfect for our friend's particular brand of glitch."

"Glitch?" Brawler said. "So you are working for them."

Doctor Jekyll smiled lazily. "You might as well give up your quest now, boy. By the time I'm done here, there will be a new Game Master in town. Mr. Ganon, if you will."

Ganon grinned and held up a tiny pebble. "I hope you heroes are in for a world of pain," he said.

Luigi glanced at the tiny pebble. "You think that's going to do us any harm?"

"Not you. Him."

Ganon bounced the pebble in his hand before chucking it at the good doctor perched on the roof. The rock struck Doctor Jekyll in the head and he slumped against the roof, a bloody gash across his temple.

"What the—!" Brawler shouted.

Samus wheeled on Ganon with her gun arm. "What have you done?" she said, throwing her secret identity to the wind.

Before Ganon could answer, lightning flashed across the sky, blinding the three heroes. When the light cleared, Brawler found himself standing on a wall on the west side of the castle, Luigi beside him and Chibi-Robo on his shoulder. Behind them, a number of Koopa and Goomba workers were rubbing their heads and looking around as if unsure of where they were. The sky overhead was pitch black as if it had suddenly switched from day to night.

"Chibi? What happened?" Brawler said.

"I don't know, Brawler," the little robot said. "Where are we?"

"Wait," Luigi said, looking around. "This is where we were when we talked earlier."

"Right," Brawler agreed. He noticed a crack in the rock he had his hand on that he'd picked at earlier. "This is where we were when—"

He glanced down at the weed-infested lawn in front of the castle. An enormous hairy figure stepped out of the trees in the exact same spot where Doctor Jekyll had emerged earlier. The newcomer staggered forward, his features seeming to become more grotesque and repulsive as he lumbered nearer. The man wore ragged dirty clothing that was ripped in places where muscles bulged or a shoulder stuck out at a strange angle. His hands were thick, each finger bigger around than Chibi-Robo was tall. His face was dirty and covered in a shaggy mess of brown hair.

The man grinned up at Brawler and Luigi, showing off rotten green teeth. "'Allo, Guv'nor," he growled. "Mind if I come in for a spot o' tea?"


	47. Chapter 46

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Forty-Six: The Insurrection

Mister Hyde blew down Zelda's door before anyone could react.

Still grinning up at Brawler and Luigi, he held out his right hand. A blazing fireball erupted in his palm, almost like a high energy version of Mario's fireball. He launched it at the old broken-down doorway, blasting it into splinters.

"We have to move!" Brawler shouted, pulling Luigi out of the way, just as another fireball blew up the stone ramparts they'd been leaning on. The heroes scrambled to their feet. Chibi-Robo clung to Brawler's shirt.

"We need to find Princess Peach," Luigi said.

"Zelda too," Brawler said. The pair ran along the wall and in through the door into the interior of the castle.

"Chibi, did you get any information on Doctor Jekyll's game?"

"Not much, Brawler," Chibi said. "The game was broken, almost impossible to play. Doctor Jekyll himself had very little attacks and his health was frustratingly low."

"Explains how Ganon killed him with a pebble," Luigi said.

Brawler tried to process the information, but he was no Reggie. Not even Erin. "Why would he do it though. Why would he pace the entire castle, then have Ganon kill him on top of the highest tower? What happens after Jekyll dies in the game?"

"After that, he becomes Mr. Hyde," Chibi explained. "He gets much stronger firepower, and becomes nearly indestructible. The problem was that he could only go as far as Doctor Jekyll did. Then he died automatically, no matter what the player did."

Brawler froze. "Practically unreachable. Beyond the game's code." Gears clicked together in his head. "Oh, man," he said. "That's why he was on that tower. It's impossible to get to. As long as he never touches that spot, he's nearly indestructible."

"But if it's unreachable, how'd he get out there in the first place?" Luigi asked.

"Ganon must have thrown him up there or something," Brawler said. "But Mr. Hyde is bigger, and Ganon's not going to help us this time."

"In that case," a familiar voice said, "We're just going to have to find our own way to get him up there."

Samus stepped out of a nearby corridor, carrying her helmet under her arm. "Sorry I'm late," she said. "I had been taking a shower when Doctor Jekyll arrived the first time."

Luigi stared. "Samus is a girl?"

Samus groaned and glared daggers at Luigi. "This is why I wear the helmet," she told Brawler, fixing it over her head. "Now, let's go kill a doctor."

Brawler grinned slightly. "As long as it's not the tenth," he said.

His companions looked at him strangely. "Never mind, let's go."

Down in the main hall, everything was chaos. Various members of Ludwig's forces tried to charge Mister Hyde, only to find themselves disintegrated by his unstoppable fireballs. The already ruined walls of the castle were soon becoming little more than smoldering husks of rubble in their invaders wake.

"It's no good coming from the front," Samus said. "We do that and we'll be no better off than those Koopas down there. We'll have to come at him from another angle."

"What about the princesses, though?" Luigi said. "We can't let them get hurt either."

Ganon's booming laugh echoed from the opposite balcony. The enormous pig stepped out of the shadows, carrying a cage in each arm. "Looking for these?"

Inside the cages, Princess Peach and Princess Zelda sat with their arms folded across their chests, their heads leaning back against the bars, and bored expressions on their faces.

"Oh, no," Princess Zelda said. "Look, Peach, we're captured again. What are we ever going to do?"

Peach shrugged. "We could play I Spy," she suggested.

"See, that's another reason I wear the suit," Samus said. "If I didn't, I'd just be getting captured all the time like those two."

Brawler shrugged. "Lara Croft doesn't wear a suit, and she does okay. Heck, Bayonetta's naked half the time."

Samus tilted her head. "Who and who?"

"I want to meet this Bayonetta," Luigi said.

Princess Zelda cleared her throat. "Hello? Can we discuss this later?"

"She's right," Brawler said. "We've got to save the princesses."

"And stop Mr. Hyde," Samus said.

"Any ideas?"

"I'll go after the princesses," Luigi said. "I'm used to the whole 'save the princess' thing. You two deal with Ugly down there."

"What about me?" Chibi asked.

"Stay with us," Brawler said. "Keep analyzing everything you can about Doctor Jekyll's game. Help us find a weak point."

"Gotcha."

Luigi hopped up on the railing. "Good luck, you guys," he said. Just before he leaped to the other side, alarms started blaring all around the castle.

"Oh, now what?" Brawler said.

Ganon grinned. "Oh, those would be the border alarms you all set up," he grinned. "It means the bombermen have arrived."

Sure enough, as Brawler glanced out through a large hole in the wall nearby, a carpet of gray, white, red, and a number of other colors was working its way down the distant mountains of Hyrule, giving them, he imagined, a few hours at best to take out Mr. Hyde, save the princesses, and set up new defenses against the army.

"Reggie," he groaned. "You better get here quick."

* * *

Link marched triumphantly from the last dungeon, carrying the fully reassembled triforce of courage in his hands. Reggie, Simon, Mario, Ludwig, and the knights followed close behind him.

"Now," Link said, "we have our triforce. Time to get back to the castle."

"I just hope everything's gone smoothly back at the castle while we've been gone," Reggie said.

"Of course everything's okay," Ludwig said. "My ship was full of some of the fiercest warriors in the Koopa Klan. What could happen?"

Link came to the last door and pulled it open to the outside, bringing the heroes face to face with a wall of multicolored robot heads facing away from them. At the sound of the door opening, the robots all turned and glared at them.

"Oh, no," Mario said.

"Uh, heh-heh, sorry," Link said. "Wrong door."

He slammed the stone door shut. "Back door!" he said. "Go, now."

"Does this thing have a back door? Simon said.

"Now's a good time to find out. Let's go."


	48. Chapter 47

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Forty-Seven: The Memories

Tom-Tom and the cavewoman, whose name was apparently Tina, looked over the unconscious forms of Prince Igul and Joe Musashi. Alex and Villager crouched nearby.

"Will they be alright," Alex asked.

Tom-Tom applied ointment to Igul's head. "This one has nasty bump," he said. "Could be out long time."

"But he's okay?"

"Yep, yep, yep," Tom-Tom replied. "Fancy prince will be fine."

Alex let out a breath of relief. "Oh, good. What about Joe?"

"Dark ninja man just unconscious," Tina said. "He wake up soon."

"He won't still be controlled by Reset, will he?" Villager asked.

Tina turned her head sideways. "Reset?" she asked.

"Never mind."

Villager turned to Jazz, who was sitting by herself in one corner of the cave. "You okay?" he asked.

Jazz glanced up at him. "Yeah, I'm fine, I—I—I don't know."

Villager sat down beside her. "Is it those things Reset kept saying? It seemed like he knew you or something?"

Jazz rubbed her head. "Yeah," she said. "I don't know what that's about. Maybe it's something that happened that we don't remember. Something before the crash."

"Maybe," Villager said. "Have you remembered anything more?"

"A few things," she said. "Um, I think about a year's worth of memory came back about the time that we passed into the third generation."

Villager nodded. "Yeah, I thought so. I can remember finishing the train ride and getting to Animal Crossing. I remember working for Tom Nook, I remember the old mayor Tortimer, I even remember catching a K.K. Slider concert with Isabelle."

"Isabelle?" Jazz said.

"Yeah, she's a . . . friend. And a dog. A friend dog."

"I can't remember much after that," Jazz said. "Every once in a while, little glimpses of memory will crop up. Just pieces, really. Like, there's this one image . . ."

Jazz turned red and put her head down.

"What? What is it?"

Jazz bit her lip. "I think I remember kissing you."

Villager stared, dumbfounded. "We, uh, I, you mean, uh."

Jazz turned even redder and looked away. "I shouldn't have told you. It was probably just a dream or something."

"Then you're saying you've been dreaming about me?"

If Jazz's face got any more red, she'd be sending up a flare for Opa-Opa to find their hiding spot. "No. What about you? Don't you have any images like that cropping up in your mind?"

Villager screwed up his face. "Not really," he said. "Best I've got so far is a fox breaking open an astronaut's helmet. Do you think that's a dream?"

Jazz shook her head. "You're impossible." She shoved his shoulder. He shoved her back playfully. The two sat in silence for a second, trying to avoid looking at each other.

"It's interesting, though," she said.

"What is?"

"He called me 'babe,'" she said. "And sometimes, things he says, the way he talks . . ."

"What about them?"

"There's this guy, on Wuhu Island," she said, "where I'd be living now if the train had finished its journey. He's a classmate of mine in school. His name's Garrett, kinda chubby, major Sega fanboy, even more than me. Sometimes . . . sometimes Reset sounds just like him."

"You mean this Garrett guy stutters in random capitals?"

"No, no, I mean like when he's not stuttering. When he's in control of someone else. His voice, his inflection, 'babe.' They're all just so much like Garrett. But, then, there's this other image that keeps showing up in my mind. I keep seeing some guy who looks like Garrett, but taller and thinner and more muscular, like he's Garrett's older brother or something. And I keep seeing him falling off a cliff with an axe in his hand. Does that make any sense?"

Villager studied her with a confused expression. He shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe this Reset guy is secretly Garrett and he's pissed at you for pushing his big brother off a cliff."

"I didn't say I pushed him. Garrett doesn't even have an older brother."

Well, you obviously pushed someone off a cliff."

Jazz scowled at him. "Are you having fun."

Villager shrugged and gave her a sideways smile. "A little bit. Maybe I get it from the astronaut in my dreams."

Jazz smiled and leaned her head against Villager. It was strange how comfortable the position felt.

"Either way," she said. "Past me obviously went crazy at some point. That would explain kissing you."

"Hey."

Jazz grinned and looked up. Her shoulder tingled against Villager's arm. She couldn't help thinking she'd be okay with kissing him.

"Hey, guys," Alex said, shuffling over to them. Jazz sat up away from Villager.

"Yeah?" she said, a little too quickly.

"Joe's waking up. Come on."

Villager and Jazz glanced at each other. Villager reached into his pocket and pulled out a turnip. "Just in case," he said.

The pair got to their feet and followed Alex to the side of the fallen ninja. The ninja stirred and opened his eyes. He blinked and sat up, rubbing his head.

"What happened?" he asked. "Where—where am I?"

"Take it easy, Joe," Alex said. "You've been through a bit."

"I remember . . . Altered Beast," he said. "He was all . . ."

His eyes rested on Villager and Jazz. "You two," he said, reaching for his katana. "You brought the glitches here!"

Villager and Jazz backed up. Alex caught Joe's arm. "Whoa," he said. "We're already past that. Right now, we need to work together to survive."

Joe held his glare at the newcomers, but released his sword. He turned back to Alex. "Fine," he said. "What's our situation, currently."

* * *

Some distance away, an army of pixellized extras marched across the fields surrounding Prince Igul's castle. An eight-bit Gilius Thunderhead and Altered Beast led the way.

"They've reclaimed Joe Musashi," the Altered Beast told his servant, "But now we have Opa-Opa on our side."

Reset-Gilius merely grunted.

A commotion in the troops behind them made the two characters stop. They turned to see two streaks of blue light blasting their way through Reset's forces. Soldiers were thrown in every direction as the blue streaks turned out to be spinning orbs that leaped into the air at certain points and slammed into their opponents, knocking the pixels out of them.

In no time, the orbs made their way up to Gilius and Altered Beast, ramming them in the chest and knocking them to the ground. Reset tried to extend his pixels to them, but they zipped away before he could. Behind him, the two orbs came to a stop, revealing themselves to be two different versions of Sonic the Hedgehog.

The taller, thinner version shook his head. "Gilius, Beastie," he said. "You two have let yourselves go. Look at you, you're wasting away to pixels."

Gilius lunged at him with his axe. Sonic sped out of range. "Still too slow," he said. He and his doppelganger turned and disappeared into the long grass.


	49. Chapter 48

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Forty-Eight: The Ring

A cacophony of cheers met their ears as they opened up the price-tag door.

Erin and Rock blinked and stepped inside, squinting to make out just what was going on. They stepped out into a small arena packed with screaming fans. In the center, a raised square platform was lined with boundaries of rope.

"Are we in . . . a boxing match?" Rock said, holding his hand over his eyes to squint up at the bright lights overhead.

Erin looked around at the crowds packing in the bleachers on every side. "This must be _Punch-Out!_ I wonder if Little Mac's around here somewhere?"

Up on the mat, a tall muscular man with a tattoo across half his face stepped up and looked down at them. "Oh, no," he said. "Little Mac's not fighting today. You are, rookie."

Erin squinted up at the man. "M-Mike Tyson?"

"Erin," Rock interrupted, "What happened to you?"

Erin tore her eyes away from Mr. Tyson to look at Rock and jumped in surprise. Rock's blue helmet and armor were gone, replaced by a red sweatshirt and a towel draped around his shoulders. Instead of a bulky arm cannon, Rock's hands were now bare, one of them clutching a chocolate bar. On his face was a look matching the surprise on Erin's.

Fearing the worst, Erin cautiously looked down at herself. Her orange top had been replaced by a bright pink hoodie. Her hands were encased in huge green boxing gloves. Fumbling to grab at the zipper, Erin opened the hoodie to reveal a black tank top and dark green shorts underneath. Worst of all, her body had almost entirely disappeared, with only a bare green wire frame left behind.

"Wha—what?" Erin stammered. "I'm—I'm . . . What happened to me?"

Mike Tyson looked down at them impatiently. "Well, Player One? Are you gonna get up her and box or what?"

Erin continued to stare at herself, holding up her gloved hands in horror. She glanced up at Mr. Tyson. "Do—do I have to fight you?"

Mr. Tyson smiled, showing off his broken teeth. "No, no," he said. "I'm not legally allowed to fight in this game anymore. I'm just here to referee while Mario is missing. You have a special challenger picked asking just for you."

The former boxer stepped aside to reveal Erin's challenger standing behind him. The fighter stood little more than couple of feet high, with black bat wings, a blue body, and a silvery faceplate. He pounded his boxing gloves together and hopped up and down on his purple shod feet.

"Meta Knight?" Erin asked. "But . . . he's a swordfighter, not a boxer."

Mike Tyson shrugged. "I don't see any sword. Looks to me like he's ready for a good old-fashioned tussle."

Rock put his hand on Erin's shoulder. "Do you have any boxing experience?" he asked.

"A little bit," she said. "Back when I was first created, R.O.B. put us through a sports regimen: baseball, bowling, tennis. You know."

"Bowling?"

"Boxing was one of them. Brawler was better at it than I was, but I could still hold my own. That was a long time ago, though. I didn't even have arms back then."

Rock looked confused. "You didn't have any—?"

Erin put her hand up. "Look, I've got it, okay. You just be ready to coach me or whatever."

Rock gulped. "Okay," he said.

Erin stepped up to the ring and crawled through the ropes. Rock watched timidly from behind a corner pole.

"Alright," Mike Tyson said, standing between Erin and Meta Knight. "Now, I want a good clean brawl. No cheating. No low blows. And definitely no biting each other's ears off, you understand?"

"Um, he doesn't have ears, sir?" Erin said.

"I said do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir."

"Now," he said, raising a flag. "Fight!"

Meta Knight put up his fists, hopping around from foot to foot. Erin put up her firsts in response, moving from side to side to get a good angle on him.

"You know," she said. "I'm pretty sure any hit I make on this guy would be a low blow."

Mike Tyson blew his whistle. "No making fun of the little guys neither," he said.

Meta Knight struck, passing completely under Erin's guard and slamming her into the abdomen. Erin groaned and crumpled against the pole behind her.

"Erin!" Rock shouted, rushing to her side and propping her up. He tried to put a water bottle straw to her mouth but Erin turned away, fearing she would vomit if she tried.

"Hey," she growled at Mike Tyson. "What happened to low blows?"

The former boxer shrugged. "That wasn't no low blow. Meta Knight punched upward."

Erin scowled. "Sure," she said, struggling to her feet. "I see how it is."

"You okay?" Rock asked.

Erin clutched at her waist. The pain was starting to subside. "Yeah," she said. "Thanks, Rock."

"Be careful."

Mike Tyson raised his flag again. "Ready for round two?" he asked.

Erin held up a finger. She crouched to her knees and put up her fists. "Okay," she said. "Now."

Mr. Tyson raised an eyebrow. "If you say so," he said. He dropped his flag.

Meta Knight and Erin circled each other, both studying each other cautiously. Erin's new position limited her mobility some but it heightened her defenses and put her on the same level as her opponent. After a few seconds, Erin took the chance and swung.

Meta Knight anticipated her move, jumping back and flapping his wings, launching himself into the air. Meta Knight laughed a cold, cruel laugh and divebombed her, smacking her in the side of her head and knocking her down.

Erin looked up to see Mike leaning against a pole, his eyes following the blue demon as he circled the ring. "Really?" she asked. "He's allowed to fly now."

"Don't say nothing about it in the rulebook," was his reply.

Erin grumbled, muttering something about biting off the ref's ear, and got to her feet. She stood to her full height so as to better face her now airborne opponent, but Meta Knight took that opportunity to land.

Erin crossed her arms. "Oh, really," she said. "That's how it's going to work, is it?"

She crouched down to his height again only for him to take off into the air. Erin stood and he touched back down. She scowled and crouched again. Meta Knight took off. Erin stood, this time anticipating her opponent's landing and striking him square in the bottom. Meta Knight's golden eyes went wide and he shot toward the ceiling.

Mike Tyson blew his whistle. "I said no low blows!"

Erin fixed him with a glare fierce enough it would have sent her brothers packing. "Excuse me? You want to run that by me again?"

"I said—"

Erin crossed her arms and bared her teeth. Mike faltered. "Uh, um, never mind. Point goes to the champion. He he."

"That's what I thought."

Erin looked back to her opponent, who was just coming back down from the stratosphere. He landed, rubbing at his backside. "You ready for another one?" she asked.

Meta Knight looked hesitant, but he put his fists up and readied his stance.

Mike raised his flag. "Ready," he said. "Fight!"


	50. Chapter 49

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Forty-Nine: The Plan

Mister Hyde's thick cockney laugh echoed through the entrance hall as he blasted fireballs left and right, vaporizing any Koopa or Goomba he came across. "And they say my game was bad. Please, this is a piece of cake."

Brawler and Samus hunkered on the balcony above him, watching him make his way through the castle. "Any ideas?" Brawler asked.

"Your robot said he'll die if he ever reaches the spot where he died as Jekyll, right?"

Brawler nodded. "Yes, that's right." Chibi beeped in response.

Samus cocked her gun. "Then we'll have to get him up to that spot."

"How?" Brawler asked. "That part of the roof was outside the game's code. Virtually impossible to reach."

Samus turned to him. "Can you fly a spaceship?"

Brawler raised an eyebrow. "Um, the Deep Diver I was pretty good at. And I've played _Starcraft_ , _Starfox_ , many _Star Wars_ games, _Galaga_ —"

Samus raised her hand. "I get it. I'll keep our enemy busy, since I'm a long range fighter. You and your robot get to my ship. There's a grappling line in the storage compartments in the back. I'll try to draw him into an open area."

"Grappling line? Open area?" The pieces fell together in Brawler's head a few seconds too slow. "Oh, I get it. Good idea."

Samus rolled her eyes. She charged her weapon again and stood. "Go," she said.

Brawler crept out of view as Samus shouted, "Hey, Ugly." Brawler just had time to hear Mister Hyde shout back "Oh, look, a miniboss finally decided to show up," before he was out of earshot.

Brawler ran down the corridor and jumped a set of side stairs. The hallway below led back to the main hall, so he dove out one of the damaged windows along the side, right into a rosebush.

"Ow! Hey, watch it! This is my hiding spot."

Brawler shook the leaves and thorns out of his hair to see that he had landed on a Lakitu.

"Sorry," Brawler said. He paused and looked back at the Lakitu. "Hey, weren't you Ludwig's right hand man?"

"The one who put me in a bag?" Chibi added, crossing his arms.

"Yeah," the Lakitu said, peeking up over the ruined wall. "Sorry about that. Orders are orders, you know."

"Your men are getting slaughtered in there. What are you doing out here?"

"Saving my butt, what do you think I'm doing? I'll get slaughtered right along with them. I'm no fighter. I—I never was."

The Lakitu glanced up over the wall again. "I wanted to be a cameraman. You know, film the adventures of mighty heroes, host some sporting events, glitzy stuff like that. But no, we must fight for the glory of the Koopa Klan."

Brawler squinted at the Lakitu, the words he said taking a minute to process. "Are you?" his eyes widened. "You're that Lakitu who follows Mario around everywhere in _64_ , and the one from all the _Mario Kart_ games."

The Lakitu stared at him. "Mario Kart? Sixty-Four? What are you talking about?"

Brawler bit his lip. "Oh, right, you probably don't remember. But don't worry, buddy. Your dream's going to come true. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a day to save. Come on, Chibi!"

Brawler picked his way out of the rosebush and hurried away across the green. "Hey, wait!" the Lakitu called after him. Brawler dashed through the overgrown grass surrounding the castle toward Samus's big yellow ship. From inside the castle, he could still hear the booming explosions of Mister Hyde's fireballs, followed by blasts from Samus's arm cannon. Brawler ducked under the rim of Samus's spaceship and tapped at the large red button on the side of the loading ramp. Once it descended, he raced up into the ship.

Inside, he found that the ship was mainly made up of one large room with a pilot's chair at the front. He dug through the storage bins in the back, locating the cables she'd been talking about.

"Nice," he said. "Now to get this thing off the ground."

He slipped the cable around his shoulder and plopped himself in the pilot's seat. Chibi-Robo hopped onto the console and plugged himself in to the nearest socket. Brawler studied the console for a moment, the layout similar to some of those he'd seen in other games.

"Okay," he said. "This shouldn't be too hard."

He pressed several buttons, turning the ship on and getting it warmed up. Chibi worked diligently beside him, making sure all systems were functioning properly.

Brawler placed his hand on the ignition. "Ready," he said. "Engage!" He punched it and the engine sputtered and died. "What? What happened?"  
Chibi processed the new information. "The engines aren't responding at all, Brawler. It seems they've been sabotaged."

Brawler growled. "Doctor Jekyll," he said. He grasped the cable around his shoulder. "Come on. We'll try Ludwig's airship."

Chibi unplugged and hopped back onto his shoulder. The pair hurried out of the ship and back onto the green. The sounds of Samus and Mister Hyde's combat was even closer now, and Brawler could see blue and orange flashes through the main doors. Brawler ran around the ship and grabbed onto the rope ladder hanging from the nearby airship.

"It's still floating," Brawler said. "That's a good sign."

He pulled himself up onto the deck and hurried over to the helm. Chibi hopped off his shoulder and plugged himself in. "Engines are still fully functional, Brawler."

Brawler grinned. "Let's do it." He punched the ignition, but the ship simply hung in midair, lilting slightly. "Now, what?"

Chibi processed. "Um, it looks like someone's damaged the forward thrust. We're not going anywhere."

The sounds of the battle became even louder. Brawler rushed to the prow to see Samus and Mister Hyde trading fire on the lawn in front of the castle doors.

"What are we going to do, Chibi?" he asked as the tiny robot climbed up onto the railing beside him. "We need some way to get him up to the top of the castle. Some way, some—"

Movement by the side of the castle drew Brawler's attention. He squinted to see the Lakitu from earlier still hiding in the rosebushes. An idea started to form in his head.

"We need some _one_ ," he said. "Someone who can fly. Someone who has been known to be able to lift a lot of weight."

Brawler hunkered down beside Chibi, keeping both the battle and the Lakitu in view. "Tell me, Chibi, what are the chances Mister Hyde is lighter than a go-kart?"

* * *

High up in the nearby mountains, a large rock started to shift. With a loud crash, it broke loose and tumbled down the hillside. Link's head popped up out of the cave beneath.

"All clear," he said. "Come on up."

He climbed out onto the rocks, followed by Reggie, Mario, Simon, Ludwig, and Zelda's knights. "Where are we?" Reggie said.

"The West Mountains," the blue knight said. "The castle's down below us, just a few miles away. And the Bombermen army is on the other side. There."

Reggie turned to see a line of gray marching through the opposite valley, the same relative distance from the castle as they were.


	51. Chapter 50

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Fifty: The Games

Meta Knight struck.

Erin dodged.

Erin punched back, striking Meta Knight right in the faceplate.

Meta Knight reeled, his wings flapping wildly. He righted himself and swung back at his opponent only for her fist to connect with his face again.

And just like that, the match was over. Erin's punch launched Meta Knight back into the pole behind him so hard he left a dent. The small blue puffball slumped to the floor, his eyes transformed into a swirling yellow line. The fighter broke up into pixels and dissipated, leaving behind a tiny figurine.

Mike Tyson dropped his flag. "We have a winner!" He stepped up to Erin and raised her wireframe arm. The crowd cheered. Mike let go and stepped back, gesturing to the tiny figure Meta Knight had left behind. "The spoil is yours," he said.

Erin crossed the ring. Rock climbed up and joined her. Both stood over the tiny plastic replica. Erin picked it up, turning it in her hands. "That's eight," she said.

"Not only that," Mike Tyson said. Erin and Rock turned to look at him, surprised to see that he was starting to dissolve into pixels. "Defeating him unlocked this game's memory," he said. "Thank you."

With that, Mike Tyson faded and disappeared. Behind him, the ropes, the beams, the lights, the seats, and the audience started to disappear. Overhead, the scoreboard started to flicker and fade, revealing a grid of rectangular ceiling panels and fluorescent lighting. Where the bleacher seating used to be, rows and rows of electronics from computers to cameras to video games appeared. Instead of screaming boxing fans, the room around them was now populated by workers roaming the shelves in blue polo shirts and technicians under a big orange sign reading "Geek Squad." Soon, all that was remained of the boxing ring was gone, and Rock and Erin found themselves standing in the middle of some kind of store.

"Where are we?" Rock asked.

"I don't know, but I don't think I want to find out," Erin replied.

She and Rock headed for the large glass sliding doors at the front of the store. A worker stood at a podium between the two sets of doors. She smiled as the pair approached. "Thank you for coming," she said. "Have a nice day." She eyed the Meta Knight amiibo Erin held, but said nothing. Erin and Rock passed through the doors and back out into the blank white world they had come from.

"That was weird," Rock said. He looked back to see that the door with the price tag had disappeared behind them.

"Yeah," Erin said, pocketing the amiibo with the others. She scanned herself, relieved to see that her arms where whole again. Everything about her and Rock seemed to be completely restored, except that Erin had been allowed to keep her black tank top and Rock had kept his candy bar. "It seems I've gotten a wardrobe change."

Rock looked at his candy bar with a miffed expression. "Yet this is all I get." He shrugged and took a bit. "Can't complain." He studied Erin in her new look. "You did pretty—pretty good up there," he said. "You, um, you were kind of intimidating."

Erin raised an eyebrow. "Intimidating?" she said.

Rock swallowed his chocolate. "Yeah, um, like when you gave Mike Tyson that look when he tried to penalize you. And when you hit Meta Knight so hard he dented the pole."

Erin blushed a little, then smiled. "Well," she said. "I suppose those early sports games paid off a little." She flexed her bare arms proudly.

Rock stared for a second. He cleared his throat and looked away. "Anyway, what's next?"

He and Erin stood before the next door, labeled "GAMESTOP."

"You think there's another store cleverly disguised as an old NES game behind this one too?" Rock asked.

Erin nodded. "Probably," she said. "Come on. With our luck, it's probably Contra." She reached out and turned the knob, swinging the door open. She and Rock stepped through into the darkness.

The sound of cheering filled the air, but this time, it came from a large open air arena. Wind and dust blew in Erin and Rock's face, making her cough. The sound of something heavy and fast roared past them. They blinked their eyes as the dust cleared. Before them spread out a large dirt racetrack dotted with muddy patches and large triangular jumps. Bikers in orange, blue, and purple jumpsuits and helmets sped around the track, jumping the jumps and dodging mud. As Rock and Erin watched, a purple rider missed its jump and wiped out on the side of the track.

"We're in _Excitebike_ ," Erin said.

"We're Excitebikers," Rock said.

Erin looked down to see that she was now wearing an orange jumpsuit and held an orange-striped helmet under her arm. Beside her, Rock was similarly decked out in a blue jumpsuit, and his standard blue helmet had been replaced by a blue Excitebike helmet. Erin checked under her jumpsuit just to make sure she still had her new tank top. She did.

"I guess we're both playing this time," Erin said.

"That's right," someone said with a British accent. "And I'm going to be your opponent."

Erin and Rock looked up to see a young man in a purple jumpsuit standing on the bleachers above them. He removed his purple helmet to reveal a shock of bleach blond hair.

"Shulk," Erin said.

"That's right," he said. "Now, come on. It's bike time." He took off down the bleachers toward three bikes standing alone on the side of the track.

Rock leaned in to Erin. "How come he can talk? Most of the other amiibos don't."

Erin shrugged. "Maybe his accent is just that iconic." She put on her helmet and nodded to Rock. The pair ran out into the arena toward the bikes. Shulk was already on his bike and revving the engine.

"Catch me if you can," he said. He gunned the engine and sped away across the dirt. Rock and Erin hopped onto the other two bikes. They started up the engines and took off after their opponent. Rock swerved to the left while Erin kept right. It wasn't quite as easy as the game made it look, with the wheels skidding all over across the dirt. A pair of blue bikers sped by, almost running into her. On the other side, Rock seemed to be having similar problems. They came to the first jump and sped up it. The pair launched into the air, coming down again on top of another jump. They jumped a third and came down hard on the dirt, flipping end over end and knocking Erin off her bike. Rock managed to stay on and skidded to a stop to check on her.

"Go," she said. "You have to beat Shulk."

"But—"

"Just go!"

Rock hesitated a moment before growling and turning his bike around, taking off after Shulk again. Erin got to her feet and brushed off her jumpsuit. She righted her bike as several bikers sped past her. She swung her leg over and started it up again. In seconds, she was off.

Up ahead, Rock maneuvered in and around the other racers. The bike was getting easier to handle, and soon he was gaining on Shulk. The blonde-haired Brit looked back to see his opponent and smirked. "For the Peoples of Bionis!" he shouted, revving his bike and speeding up. Rock raced after him.

Behind them, Erin was still struggling. She couldn't quite grasp the controls and she found herself lagging further and further behind Rock and Shulk. As she struggled, hordes of riders in purple, orange, and blue sped past her. "Oh, come on," she grumbled. "This never happened in Mario Kart. Hey! I think that guy just lapped me."

Up ahead, Rock and Shulk were neck and neck. "Give it up, Mechon," Shulk said. "You can't win this." The pair hopped multiple jumps. This time, Rock had gotten it down, positioning his bike just right underneath him so that he didn't spin out when he landed and kept right on going. Shulk tried to speed past Rock, but he couldn't make any headway. He glanced back at the racers behind them. "Perhaps I need to try my special touch," he said. He pulled out his large pink blade. The glowing kanji for "speed" lit up in the hilt.

"Hey," Rock complained. "The real Shulk would never cheat."

"Too bad, mate," Shulk said. "I'm programmed to win." He sped forward, dashing for the finish line. Rock raced after him, determined to stay with him. Shulk looked back and laughed. They went over one more big jump. Rock landed perfectly, but Shulk was going too fast to position himself correctly and wiped out in a mud puddle. Rock blew past him and crossed the finish line. Shulk sat up, shaking the mud out of his hair. He picked up his bike and repositioned it. He swung his leg over just as Erin came over the jump and managed to stick the landing. She waved to him as she passed and sped on ahead. Erin crossed the finish line just ahead of Shulk and stopped her bike beside Rock's.

Shulk parked his bike and got off. "Alright," he said. "You win. Both of you. I guess it wasn't Shulk time after all." He broke up into individual pixels and dissipated, leaving behind a tiny plastic model of himself. Erin picked up the new amiibo and the racetrack disappeared, revealing a small store with a large glass front door and a customer service counter taking up much of the middle of the store. The walls were lined with shelf upon shelf of all the latest games for the Wii U, Xbox One, PS4, 3DS, and even some older systems. A couple of consoles were hooked up to monitors at certain points and displayed demos of the latest games.

"Well, this looks like my kind of store," Rock said. He stared at one of the games in the Wii U section. He walked over to it and picked it up. Erin recognized it by its yellow box and blue-and-red logo as the _Mega Man Legacy Collection_. Rock held it, staring at the box in amazement.

"Rock?" Erin said.

The clerk behind the counter walked over to them. "Finding everything okay?" he asked.

Rock looked up at him. "Um," he said, "is it okay if I keep this?"

The clerk smiled. "Well, of course," he said. "It's yours, isn't it?" He glanced at Erin and gave her a wink.

Rock nodded gratefully. "Thank you, sir."

"No, Mega Man," the clerk said. "Thank you. It's been far too long."

Erin walked over to Rock and put her hand through his arm. "Ready to go," she asked.

Rock looked over at her and smiled. "Yeah," he said, placing the game inside one of his torso panels. "Let's go."

The pair walked out of the game store and back out into the hub world. The GAMESTOP door disappeared behind them. Rock's blue helmet remained, tucked under his arm. Rock took a deep breath. "So, um, what's next?" he said.

Erin removed her hand from Rock's arm. "It should be," she turned to the next door. "Huh, that's weird."

"What?" Rock turned and saw the problem. The last two doors still remained, but the symbol on the next door had changed from a ring of lines in a star shape to a large star with an "R" in the middle. "Wasn't that different before?"

Erin nodded. "I was pretty sure it was some weird line design. What does the 'R' stand for?"

Rock shrugged. "Do you think it means anything for our next challenge?"

"Maybe," Erin said. "Or maybe there's some all-powerful being controlling our world who screwed up and got the wrong symbol, and this is his half-baked attempt to rectify it."

Rock stared at her. "That was oddly specific."

"It could happen. So, are we going in or not?"

"Let's go."

Erin pocketed her new Shulk amiibo and pushed open the door. The pair stepped through into darkness once again. This time, no crowd cheered, no dust blew in their faces, Mike Tyson didn't show up to referee. Everything remained in darkness. The only thing either of them could see was each other and two large gray walls on either side of them.

"What kind of game is this?" Rock said. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," Erin said. "Maybe there's a—." She looked up and her mouth dropped. "Oh."

Rock followed her gaze to see a pair of bright red blocks descending slowly toward them. He moved to the side to see two more blocks, a green and a blue, stacked on top of the left block, forming an L-shape. Rock stared in awe. "A-are we in . . . Tetris?"

Erin nodded, her mouth hanging open. "I-I think we're supposed to—"

Before she could finished a blue streak flashed out of nowhere, slamming into the side of the blocks and forcing them over the space of one block. The attacker leapt away and clung to the opposite wall. He was tall and fox-like, with dark blue and black fur, but a patch of offwhite at the chest, from which a steel spike protruded. He glared down at them with cunning red eyes.

"Lucario!" Erin shouted.

Before she could say anything more, Rock yanked her out of the way. The L-Block above them had suddenly picked up speed and slammed into the floor right where she'd been standing. "Time to play," Rock said. "Talk later." Above them, another set of blocks appeared, this time forming a sort of z-shape. Erin fired at the ground launching herself into the air. Rock summoned Rush and bounced up after her. Erin swung at the blocks when Lucario came out of nowhere and slammed her aside.

"Hey," Rock shouted.

Lucario propelled himself on top of the Z-block and blasted an aura sphere into its top, sending it speeding down to land with its bottom side block resting on top of the L-block. Rock landed beside Erin. "I think he's trying to stack them as poorly as he can," he said. "Get them to the top faster. That way we lose."

Erin nodded. "So we must make sure we don't get to the top, and keep Lucario out of the way."

"Looks like it."

Erin peeked out around the blocks to see a straight line of blocks coming down now. "You want to split it up. One of us take the block, the other handle Lucario."

"Sounds like a plan. Which do you want?"

Erin cocked her gun. "I'm after Lucario. I want payback for that last hit."

The pair stepped out from under the blocks and hopped up on top of the Z-block. Standing back to back, Erin opened fire on Lucario, keeping him occupied, while Rock shot at the line of blocks, steering them into the position he wanted. He moved it so that it fell right alongside the Z-block and then shot it once in the corner before it hit the ground, placing it right under the Z-block's edge.

"Great job," Erin said, still firing after Lucario, who scrambled around the screen above them, staying one step ahead of her fire. "Keep it up."

This time a square of four blocks fell. Lucario lunged at it, knocking it aside. Erin's lasers struck him in the shoulder and he fell, but the damage was done. The block was now in a tricky position and descending fast. Rock fired as quickly as he could, steering it toward the inside of the L-block, but it got stuck on the crease of the Z-block instead, forcing Erin to move up beside Rock.

"Crap," Rock said. Another set of blocks started to fall. Rock started shooting at it, not noticing Lucario sneaking up behind him. Erin shouted "Look out!" and threw herself in the way of the amiibo's attack. They grappled for a second before both falling off the blocks, leaving Rock alone.

"Erin!" Rock shouted. He shook his head and kept his focus. He steered the blocks into just the position he wanted them and let them fall. The next came down, and he lined it up right alongside the last one. "Almost there," he said. Below him, he could hear Erin and Lucario duking it out. The next block appeared and it was just what he needed. He hopped up onto the square block and started steering the block to this side of the screen. He bit his lip as he guided it in past the block and down into the L's crevice. Finally, he had pulled off a straight line of blocks. The solid line started to flash, causing the blocks he was standing on to drop a couple of feet.

"Yes!" he shouted.

Erin crawled up from below the blocks, blood dripping from a scratch on her cheek. "Lucario should be out for a couple seconds," she said. "It'll give us enough time to knock out a few more."

"Yeah," Rock said. He pointed up to the next block coming down. "Help me position that one."

Together, the pair placed the block on the left side of the screen. The next one came down and they lined it up right alongside it. "Hey, I have a question?" Erin asked. "Tetris was mainly a game you kept playing until you eventually lost. So, when exactly is _our_ endgoal?"

Rock remained silent. He had no answer. He stared up at the next block coming down. "Um, hopefully we just have to reach a certain score. Let's just keep going until something happens."

Erin bit her lip but nodded. The pair aimed their guns and fired.


	52. Chapter 51

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Fifty-One: The Strategy

Villager and Jazz crouched around the fire with Alex Kidd, Joe Musashi, and the cavepeople Tom-Tom and Tina. Prince Igul was still passed out on the floor. Outside, the sound of Opa-Opa flitting around had died down. "So, who are these two anyway?" Villager asked. "I'm not familiar with, um, Tom-Tom."

"Or Tina for that matter," Jazz said.

Alex leaned back against the wall and rubbed his brother's shoulder. "They're from an old game called _Wonder Boy_ ," he said. "Have you ever heard of the _Adventure Island_ games?"

Villager tried to sift through his knowledge of video games. "Is that the one with Guybrush Threepwood?"

"That's _Monkey Island_ ," Jazz said. "Speaking of which, when do we get to meet him?"

Alex and Joe stared at the pair for a moment, then glanced at each other in confusion. "Anyway," Alex said, " _Wonder Boy_ was a precursor to the _Adventure Island_ series. They're not technically Sega, but the game was on our system. Tom-Tom and Tina must have hidden out in this cave when the crash happened and survived thanks to our defenses."

"Yes, yes," Tom-Tom said, nodding. "Tom-Tom and Tina hide in cave. Tom-Tom and Tina survive."

"Well, a lot of good that did you, thanks to these two," Joe said testily.

"Enough, Joe," Alex said.

Joe leered at him. "Enough? Our world and everything we fought for is going to be destroyed just like every other video game world, because of them, and you're acting like they're the victims in all of this."

Alex rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Look, can we just get back to planning? That's the only way we're going to stand a chance against these glitches."

Joe grumbled. "You're the leader," he said.

"Thank you." Alex said. He pointed down at the world map they had drawn on the floor. "The castle is here," he said, pointing to a spot at one end. "And we're over here. The glitch so far has Gilius, Opa-Opa, and the Altered Beast, as well as several of Igul's men from the castle. There's not much between here and there, so on the plus side, their numbers probably haven't grown, but on the other hand, it means that we don't have long until we have a lot more company than Opa-Opa to worry about."

"So what do we do?" Jazz asked.

"Well," Alex said, "Thanks to Tom-Tom and Joe here, we know that we can knock the glitch out of the host by defeating them the way they die in the game."

"We know that from Bubble Bobble, too," Villager said.

"Both Gilius and Altered Beast went down in a couple of hits in their games," Alex continued. "As did Opa-Opa. As for Igul's men, they're all just basic mooks. One hit should do it. The only trouble is hitting them before they get us. As you may recall, Opa-Opa's lasers have a pretty wide range. We're going to have to be sneaky about this."

Joe scoffed. "I'm a shinobi," he said. "Being sneaky is what I do."

"No, technically, being a straightforward beat-em-up is what you do. The stealth factor in your games is basically nil." Joe's eyes narrowed. Alex ignored him. "Either way, I'll bank on the hope that you actually do have the fabled shinobi stealth skills. At least you don't wear a bright orange jumpsuit. Villager, Jazz, how's your stealth?"

Villager and Jazz looked at each other and wiggled their hands in the air in front of them. "Our games don't really have much in the way of stealth either," Villager said.

Jazz pointed to her wings. "These are still here," she said. "So I probably have the best chance against Opa-Opa."

Alex sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Where's Snake or Ezio when you need them? Alright. Tom-Tom, how about you?"

"Tom-Tom did sneak up on sneaky shinobi," the young caveman pointed out. Villager and Jazz chuckled. Joe growled.

Alex grinned. "Fair point," he said. "And Tina?"

Tina gave Alex an incredulous look. "No, no, no. Tina no fight. Tina stay here. There reason Tina not playable in game. Tina let boyfriend fight for her."

Tom-Tom nodded. "Yep, yep."

Alex and Villager sighed. Jazz leaned in to Tina. "You realize you're putting our whole gender back about a hundred years, right?"

Tina shrugged. "Several thousand years forward for caveperson," she said. "And Tina don't care. Tina safe in cave. Tina look after unconscious prince boy."

Jazz rolled her eyes. "I guess that leaves us with five then," she said. "The real question is, assuming we get Reset out of his hosts, what do we do about him after that? I don't think any of us have actually seen them truly fight without a host yet. They might be as impervious as the m . . ." Jazz paused. She squinted and worked her mouth. "What was I about to say? I feel like it's something I should remember."

Villager stared at her in concern. She shook her head. "Never mind. It's not important right now. Either way, how do we destroy a glitch?"

"Download a patch?" Villager suggested, cracking a small smile. Jazz, Alex, and Joe stared at him. Jazz smacked him on the shoulder. "Kidding," Villager said. "I guess we'll just have to wing it," he said. "Play it by ear."

Alex nodded. "It's the best we can do for now." He got up and walked over to the cave entrance, pulling aside the vine cover. He peered out into the sunshine to see Opa-Opa skim by overhead. "Still looking for us," he said. "Jazz, you and Tom-Tom go for Opa-Opa. You've got wings, and his hatchets have the best range. Joe, Villager, and I will head out to meet the army. Villager and I will take them straightforward, give them a target to focus on, and Joe will sneak around and take them from behind, got it?"

Jazz got to her feet, wings fluttering. "Sounds good to me," she said. "How's your throwing arm, cave boy?"

Tom-Tom pumped his arm. "Tom-Tom's arm very strong," he assured her.

Jazz stepped up to the mouth of the cave and glanced out. "We'll go after he passes one more time," she said. Villager stepped up beside her, and they grasped each other's hand. "Stay safe," she told Villager, her eyes still scanning the treetops.

"You too," Villager said.

A large shape of red and yellow whizzed past overhead. "Come on, Tom-Tom," Jazz said. The pair tossed aside the covering and dashed out into the trees. Jazz placed her hands under Tom-Tom's arms and took off into the air with him in tow. They flew low and out of sight, but keeping good pace behind Opa-Opa.

"Come on," Alex said. He motioned to Joe and Villager, and the three stole out of the cave and into the underbrush. They crept up to a small ridge from which they could see the large grassy field between them and the castle. Only two figures appeared close to the edge of the forest, one in green and carrying a large axe, the other in a shredded purple tunic. "Only Gilius and Beast?" Alex asked. "What about all of Igul's men?"

Villager shrugged. "Maybe Reset can only spread himself so thin," he suggested.

Alex scratched at his head. "That doesn't seem right. All the glitches I've seen can spread themselves across an entire game if they want to." He peered out across the grassy field. Off in the distance, several faint shapes lay sprawled in the grass. "I think . . . I think they were already attacked. By someone else."

"Who?" Villager asked.

Joe nudged them. He pointed up to the sky, where Jazz and Tom-Tom were rapidly catching up to Opa-Opa. Tom-Tom was just raising a hatchet to throw when a spinning blue ball burst from the trees and slammed into Opa-Opa from beneath. Another blue orb, this one smaller and slightly lighter in color, shot out from another tree and struck the winged spaceship from behind. Opa-Opa tried desperately to focus on one enemy, but the two orbs zipped around him at lightning speed, striking again and again. Finally, the larger orb dealt one last blow and a spray of pixels burst from the ship. Newly freed, Opa-Opa lilted and fell into a tailspin, crashing down into the trees below.

Alex sighed in irritation. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said. "The royal showoff himself has arrived, multiplied by two. I give you Sonic the Hedgehogs."


	53. Chapter 52

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Fifty-Two: The Lift

Mister Hyde threw fireball after fireball, driving Samus back. She kept up her return fire, making the air between them blaze with blue and orange heat. Finally, Mister Hyde managed to land a hit to Samus's chestplate and knocked her to the ground, her armor smoking. The hulking giant stepped up to her, grinning with his broken and rotting teeth. "Now, lassy," he said. "It's time to start dethroning our major players." His hand lit up with fire. "I'll be sending you a few of your friends to keep you company shortly."

"Hey, ugly!"

Mister Hyde paused. He turned to see Brawler standing behind him, fists raised. "Come at me, bro!" Brawler shouted, hopping back and forth from foot to foot.

Mister Hyde laughed. "Oh, I see, you found out both of your ships were damaged, so you've come to take me on yourself, have you?"

Brawler raised his fists higher. "Come on, man. Let's go. Mano a mano. You chicken?"

Mister Hyde held up the fireball in his hand. "You realize I could vaporize you with just one of these, right?"

"Sure," Villager said. "But that would be the easy way out."

Mister Hyde growled. "Easy? What do you know about easy? You stupid gaming icons with your perfectly programmed games. Why don't you try making a name for yourself while being trapped in one of the most notoriously bad games in existence. You want to talk about difficulty? My game makes _Dark Souls_ look like _Pong_. But no more. This will be my game now. I will be the one revered for _Wind Waker,_ and _Ocarina of Time_ , and _Majora's Mask_ , and _A Link Between Worlds._ I will be on the Gaming Walk of Fame _._ I will be—"

"The one everyone calls Zelda?" Brawler suggested.

"Yes! Wait . . . no. No. Not that part. But all the rest. Yes, all the rest."

"Even guest starring in _Mario Kart 8_?"

Mister Hyde grinned. "I suppose. If I let Mario live long enough to get an eighth Kart game."

Brawler bit his lip. "So, what you're saying is, you would like to be lifted up by that Lakitu any time you fall off the track?"

Mister Hyde stared at his opponent in confusion. "I suppose. I mean, I guess that comes with it."

Brawler grinned. "How would you like to experience that now?"

Mister Hyde felt a sharp tug on his back belt loop and suddenly he dangling in the air, his hands and feet flailing, his fireball dissipating. Up above, Ludwig's Lakitu lieutenant pulled with all his might, Chibi-Robo clinging to the hook to keep it in place. "Let me down!" Mr. Hyde screamed. Brawler rushed to Samus's side. The bounty hunter sat up, taking off her helmet. She looked around bleary-eyed as if just waking up from being knocked unconscious. She glanced up at the scene above her.

"A Lakitu?" she asked. "I thought you were supposed to use my ship."

"Yeah," Brawler replied. "Our friend up there kind of sabotaged it. Ludwig's ship too. This was the next best thing."

Mister Hyde picked that moment to remind himself that he still had his fireballs. He started shooting them haphazardly all over the place, leaving massive smoking craters all over the field around them. He tried to shoot them up at his carrier, but his position made aiming that direction next to impossible.

"Lakitu!" Brawler shouted. "Can you get him up to that top tower?"

The Lakitu glanced up at the highest tower. His eyes widened. "All the way up there?"

"Is that a no?"

The Lakitu glanced down at his captive with concern. "No. No," he said. "I can do this. But you two gotta make sure he doesn't hit me with one of those fireballs."

Brawler and Samus nodded. Lakitu sped upwards, hauling Mister Hyde behind him. Mister Hyde screamed in cockney rage, twisting to try and get at his captor and throwing fireballs everywhere. Brawler and Samus ran inside the castle, working their way up through the castle's corridors and stairways, working to keep the Lakitu and Mister Hyde in view at all times through the holes in the walls. Brawler was about to cross in front of a large hole when Samus pulled him back and a fireball demolished the steps in front of him. "Whoa," Brawler said. "Thanks."

Samus nodded. "Don't mention it." She jumped the new chasm, followed by Villager, and they carried on. "I wish we could disable his arms," she said. "During our fight, I struck him several times, but nothing seemed to make a dent."

They came out onto the outer walls with Lakitu just ahead of them, speeding toward the tower. "Any ideas on how to stop him from throwing fireballs everywhere and hitting Lakitu?" Brawler asked.

Samus studied Mister Hyde for a moment. "I don't think we can," she said. "I think we just need to keep his attention on us and away from Lakitu."

"Great," Brawler said. He and Samus ran forward, ascending the stairs on the last leg up to the tower. "Hey, Hyde! I have a question? Which one of your sides do you think is uglier? You or Doctor Jekyll?"

Mister Hyde glowered at Brawler and sent a fireball his way. Brawler leapt over the blast and kept going. "How does it feel to know you were the first game reviewed by a major YouTube critic? I mean, to be picked over _E.T., Superman 64,_ and _Big Rigs_ , you must be bad."

Mister Hyde roared in outrage and threw more and more fireballs. Brawler and Samus reached the top of the tower just as Lakitu and Mister Hyde flew over. Mister Hyde's eyes widened as Lakitu raced toward the spot. He wriggled fiercely against the hook lifting him, throwing Chibi-Robo from him. He grabbed at the line and pulled himself around so that he could get a clear shot.

"Hey, Mister Hyde!" Brawler shouted, but it was too late. Mister Hyde threw a fireball. The Lakitu pulled back at the last minute. The fireball hit the cloud and vaporized it, throwing the Lakitu from his ride. Mister Hyde grinned a filthy grin as he fell just short of their target. His look changed to one of terror as a bright blue ball of energy from Samus's arm cannon slammed him in the chest and knocked him the rest of the way. He crashed into the roof tiles and crumpled in a heap. Bright flashing letters appeared around him, spelling out "Game Over." Mister Hyde screamed in fury and lashed out at his enemies before his body started to glitch out and turned to static. In seconds, he was gone.

"Whoa," Brawler said. "That was awesome."

Samus took off her helmet and blew the top of her arm cannon. "I suppose," she said.

The Lakitu sat up from where he had landed on the parapets. "Samus is a girl?"

Samus rolled her eyes. "Come on," she said. "Thanks to our friend there, we're now more unprepared for the Bomberman army than we were before. Without the princesses here, our best bet is to fix our ships so we can escape if the others don't return."

Brawler nodded. "Right." Samus descended the steps into the tower. Brawler turned and picked up Chibi-Robo from where he'd landed. "You okay, Chibi?"

The little robot brushed at a dent in his side. "Mostly."

Brawler extended his hand and helped the Lakitu up. "Sorry about your cloud," he said.

"It's okay," the Lakitu said. "I can always get a new one."

"Thanks for the help. I don't think I ever caught your name." He held out his hand. "I'm Brawler."

The Lakitu adjusted his glasses. "Lucky," he said, shaking Brawler's hand.

Brawler grinned. "Nice."


	54. Chapter 53

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Fifty-Three: The Captain

One by one, the blocks kept on falling. Erin and Rock had long since given up on the bottom three rows and were now doing everything they could to keep the Tetris blocks from reaching the top. Lucario kept at it, attacking them, knocking blocks in the wrong direction, and generally doing everything he could to get the stack higher.

Erin wiped sweat off her forehead. "Just a little longer," she said.

Rock creaked with every movement. "I hope so," he said. "I'm not sure I can hold out much longer."

"Look," Erin said, as a long vertical string of blocks appeared above them. "That one's perfect. Slide it into the hole on the far side."

Erin and Rock blasted the block with their laser cannons, sending it to the opposite end. Lucario appeared on the wall behind it and shot it with an aura sphere, knocking it back a space. "I'm getting just about tired of that fox," Rock grumbled. He shifted his aim to shoot at Lucario and the Pokémon hopped away. He and Erin blasted the blocks back into position just as it started to pick up speed. The blocks fell right into position, making three straight rows across the board. The blocks beneath Erin and Rock started to flicker and they jumped out of the way.

"High Score!" a voice shouted through the darkness. Large digital numbers flashed in the air over the blocks. The entire stack started flickering.

"Does this mean we won?" Erin asked.

"I, um, think so," Mega Man said. As before, the blackness around them began to fade, revealing a new world beyond. This time, the walls and ceilings were bright white, enclosing a massive space filled with rows upon rows of shelves stacked with toys. Kids ran here and there, checking out the Barbies and Transformers and stuffed animals. Some guy in a giraffe costume wandered here and there, occasionally getting hugged by a child. Lucario landed on the linoleum floor beside them and bowed gracefully. He broke apart into pixels and disappeared, leaving behind his amiibo. A child ran past and snatched it up.

"Cool," he said. "A Pokémon toy."

"W-Wait," Erin shouted, turning to go after him, but the child found himself stopped by the man in the giraffe costume.

"Now, now, Tommy," the giraffe said in a goofy voice. "Wouldn't you like to play with this nice cool Nerf gun instead."

The little boy stared up at the giraffe blankly, glanced down at his Lucario amiibo, then at the Nerf gun. "Trade ya," the giraffe insisted, holding out his hand. After a couple seconds of deliberation, the boy picked the Nerf gun and handed off the amiibo. He ran off and started pelting his friends with foam balls.

The giraffe stood and tossed the amiibo in the air. "Kids, huh?" he said in a more serious, familiar voice. He held out the figurine. "I believe this belongs to you."

Erin took the figure. "Thanks," she said. "Um, who are you?"

The giraffe chuckled. "Well, the kids here call me Geoffrey," he said. He reached up and pulled off his head, revealing the same brown-haired clerk who'd been behind the counter at Game Stop. "You can call me Kevin."

"Kevin?" Rock asked. "Are you a glitch?"

"Or one of the Game Masters?" Erin asked.

Kevin grinned. "Well, I'm no glitch," he said. "And my friends used to call me a game master, but I don't think I was ever a game master the way you mean game master."

Erin raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Kevin waved off the question. "Don't matter," he said. He nodded to Rock. "Nice to see you again, my old friend."

Rock stared at him. "Do we know each other."

"Kind of," Kevin said. "Come here. I have something I want to give the two of you."

He led them through the aisles, pulling off his giraffe costume as he walked, revealing a red-and-white letterman jacket emblazoned with a big red "N," with a yellow t-shirt and tattered blue jeans underneath. "So, Rock, you still have the Legacy Collection from Game Stop?" he asked.

Rock held up the game box. "Right here," he said.

"Good," Kevin said. "Hold on to that. And you, Erin." He stopped in a section full of video game stuff. He pulled a small plastic gun off the shelf. "Now, I know you already have a gun of your own, but you'll probably be needing this in the next round." He held it out to her.

Erin stared at it. "The old NES Zapper?"

"You got it."

Erin gingerly placed her hands around it and took it. "Um, thank you," she said.

"And one more thing," Kevin said. He rolled up his sleeve, revealing a thick gray glove decked out with a bunch of buttons and wires. "I suppose it's time I passed this on, eh?" He pulled the glove off and folded it gingerly. He handed it over to Rock. "Take care of it for me, will you?"

Rock stared at him for a moment. "Who are you, really?" he asked.

Kevin smiled, a little sadly this time. "A relic of the past," he said. "You may remember me in time. But for now, I'm just here to guide you on your way." He gestured to the large glass doors at the entrance. "Your final trial awaits," he said. "Good luck, you two."

Rock and Erin thanked him and headed for the door. "Hey, Rock," Kevin called. "Say hi to Pit and Simon for me if you see them."

Rock turned back to respond, but Kevin had disappeared, leaving behind only an empty Geoffrey the Giraffe costume on the floor. Rock and Erin walked out the door, and the toy store disappeared behind them.

"What was that all about?" Erin asked, studying her new Zapper. "Who was he?"

Rock regarded his Power Glove with care. "An old friend, I think," he said. He looked up and turned toward the final door. "One more?" he said. He and Erin stood before the door emblazoned with a giant red target.

"Well," Erin said, flipping her zapper around. "There's a good chance he was right. I will be needing this after all. Come on." She pushed the door open, and the pair stepped through.

The smell of fresh morning grass filled their noses. A cool breeze blew past them, making Erin shiver in her new tank top. The sound of ducks quacking could be heard every couple of seconds. "Oh, my," Erin said. "Are we—." She looked around. She and Rock now stood in the middle of a large open meadow with grass coming up to their armpits. A tree stood in the middle of the meadow, contrasted against a bright blue sky. "We're in Duck Hunt?"

"Awesome," Rock said. "Maybe we'll get to shoot that dumb dog." He stared up at the tree beside them. "Did you know this thing was a fruit tree?" He reached up into its branches and pulled out a round, yellow fruit. He offered it to Erin. "Want a lemon?"

Erin stared at the fruit and suppressed a blush. "Um, maybe later," she said. "We have a job to do."

Rock considered for a moment, then stuffed the lemon away in his chest compartment. "So, where's our opponent?" he asked.

"Why, I'm right here, Silly." The long grass parted and the green hazy form of Reboot stepped out, followed by Mario character Rosalina in her flowing blue dress and platinum blonde hair. A number of star-like Lumas floated around her.

"How do you feel about two opponents?" Reboot asked.


	55. Chapter 54

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Fifty-Four: The Shootout

Reboot held her hand up to one of the small Lumas floating around Rosalina. "These will be your ducks," she said. "Rosalina will send them up three at a time. Hit them all and you win the round. Miss any, and you lose. Just like the original game."

Erin pointed her zapper at the glitch. "What about you?"

Reboot shrugged. "Oh, I'll just be hanging around. Offering up some additional challenges, you know."

"What kind of challenges?" Rock asked, his gun trained on her face.

Reboot laughed. "Oh, you'll see," she said. "You'll see."

Before Erin or Rock could say anything more, she melted into the tall grass, her green pixels blending perfectly, leaving behind Rosalina all by herself. The space princess stared at them blankly for a second before pointing her wand at one of her Lumas and sending it skyward.

"Get it," Rock said. Erin pointed her zapper to the sky, following the Luma's course. Once it got in range, she fired. The Luma froze in midair and dropped to the ground below. A second appeared, weaving back and forth across the sky. Erin fired again, missing at first, then hitting a bulls-eye. Finally a third appeared. Erin lined up her shot, tracking the tiny star through the air. She took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.

Something sprang from the grass beside her and knocked her to the ground, sending her shot wild. Erin rolled to see what it was, but it had disappeared back into the long grass. Rock held out his hand to help her up. "It was Reboot," he said. "I guess we know what kind of challenges she meant now."

Erin looked around for her prey but it had disappeared. Rosalina popped up nearby, holding her two dazed Lumas, a blank expression on her face. Erin felt a strong tugging in her pocket, and the Sonic amiibo broke free flying through the air and disappearing into the long grass. "Hey!" she shouted. "That wasn't part of the deal."

Reboot's head emerged a few feet away. "Oh, didn't I mention that? Sorry. Guess you'll have to win him back then."

Erin growled. "Rock, watch my back."

"Yes, ma'am."

Rock stood back-to-back with her, his gun pointed at the grass. Erin pointed her zapper up as another Luma flew into the air. _Bang!_ It fell to the ground. Another. _Bang!_ Another direct hit. Behind her, Erin could hear Rock firing into the grass. She hoped he was succeeding in his job and keeping that Blasted glitch away from her. She lined up for one more strike when a green blur burst from the grass directly in front of her and knocked both Erin and Rock to the ground. Erin struggled to her feet and shot after the Luma, missing shot after shot but finally managing to hit the Luma just before it left the screen.

Rosalina popped up with all three in her hands. "Well done," Reboot said from somewhere in the tall grass. Sonic's amiibo came flying back to Erin. "But really, Rock, you need to try a little harder. Your girlfriend almost lost her second favorite toy of you."

Rock rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, Erin. She's really hard to keep track of in here."

"It's alright," Erin said. "Just keep trying."

Two Lumas shot into the sky at once. Erin shot after one but missed twice. Once she got to the second, it was already out of range. "Crap!" Erin said. "That one was my fault." The third Luma showed up, and Erin nailed it on the first try.

Rosalina showed up again, holding up two. Toon Link worked its way out of Rock's pocket this time and disappeared into the long grass. "Oh, dear," Reboot said. "I didn't even have to do anything that time." Rock fired a couple of shots in the direction of her voice. "Do try and do better, loves. You've only got one left."

"Sorry," Erin said to Rock.

One last Luma took off into the sky. Erin lined up her shot. Out of the corner of her eye, a green blur launched from the grass. Erin spun from the Luma and shot Reboot right between the eyes. The glitch fell to the ground, her form sparking in and out, occasionally taking the form of a young girl in a flowing white dress before turning back to her normal self.

Rock stepped in between Erin and Reboot. "I'll keep her down. Take the shot."

Erin pointed her gun back to the sky. The Luma was almost to the top of the screen. She fired once. Missed. Twice. Missed again. Almost out of range. Erin bit her lip and straightened the gun. She fired one last time. A bolt of energy struck the tiny Luma, freezing it in midair. It dropped like a stone, back into the long grass. Rosalina popped up, holding its stunned body.

The world began to flicker. The open field made way for a massive supermarket with bright red and white walls. Rows and rows of cash registers lined the front of the store, with a huge selection of clothing filling up the middle, grocery aisle to one side, and an electronics section on the other. The bright red target from the door could be seen all over the place. Rosalina splayed her arms and her ten Lumas circled around her body. Each one broke apart into pixels and vanished, leaving behind her amiibo.

Reboot got to her feet, rubbing her forehead. "I know when I am beaten," she said. She opened her hand and relinquished the Toon Link amiibo. Rock grabbed it out of the air and put it back in his pocket. "We will meet again, heroes," Reboot said. "Until then, my contemporary is stirring up trouble in the Sega multiverse, and that's my domain." Her body flickered one more time and disappeared, leaving behind a ghostly afterimage of the girl in the white dress.

Erin walked over and picked up the Rosalina amiibo. "So that's it?" she said. "We're done?"

"Looks like it," Rock said. "Where to now?"

Erin gestured to the large glass doors on either side of the registers. "I guess we walk through the door and find out." She held out her hand. "Shall we?"

Rock smiled and took her hand. "Let's do this," he said.

Hand in hand, Erin and Rock passed the row of registers and out the sliding doors.

* * *

Izzy said reclining on a picnic blanket in the middle of a cemetery, picking his teeth with his kunai. Images of the _Legend of Zelda, Duck Hunt,_ and _Alex Kidd_ played out in the air before him. Green pixels swarmed on the other side of the picnic blanket, taking the shape of Reboot.

"Welcome, Reboot," Izzy said nonchalantly. "Won't you join me? I promise no ghosts or goblins will show up and kidnap you."

Reboot reclined beside him, picking a chili dog from the midst of the picnic fixings. "Why thank you, my lord," she said, tossing Izzy a memory card. "The job is done."

Izzy held up the card. "Five games for the price of one," he said. "I am impressed. But you did lose me eleven amiibos in the process."

"Collateral damage," Reboot said. "I need to get into the Sega universe. Reset destroyed the Master System, tossing his passion projects in. Can you help me out?"

Izzy chuckled. He reached into his coat and pulled out a Sega Game Gear. "This will serve your needs," he said. "But for the moment, won't you stay and watch the fireworks with me. Things are about to come to a head over in Hyrule."

Reboot glanced up at the screens. "I suppose I could stick around for a moment. I don't suppose you feel like telling me who you really are?"

Izzy smiled. "Not a chance."


	56. Chapter 55

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Fifty-Five: The Reunion

Brawler and Samus stood side-by-side on the walls of Zelda's castle. Impa, Lucky the Lakitu, and the few remaining Koopa Troops left from Mr. Hyde's attack stood along the walls beside them. A wall of Bombermen marched toward them at the other end of the field.

"Luigi's not back yet," Samus noted.

"Well, you know," Brawler said. "It normally takes him and his brother at least eight levels to save the princess."

Samus turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

"Meta joke," Brawler said. "You'd get it if your memory was intact."

"Uh huh," she said. She turned back to the army and put on her helmet. "Perhaps you can fill me in after we stop these robots from blowing us all to the Underwhere."

Brawler snickered. "Got it."

The army continued to march. Impa held out her hand. "Steady," she said. She allowed the army to march a few more steps. "Now!"

The minute defense force opened fire on the robots down below. Samus did the most damage, unleashing a barrage of energy spheres and taking out large swaths of the enemy robots. Impa and Lucky helped a bit as well, with the old woman casting magic spells and the Lakitu dropping Spinies all over the place and generally making life miserable for the Bombermen. Just like in the game. Most of the Koopa Troop resorted to hammers that their fallen Hammer Brother friends had left behind.

As for Brawler, he didn't have much in the way of projectiles. All he had for the time being was his trusty shot-put, which he used to successfully bean one of the leaders, but not much beyond that. He was much better at close combat. So, he waited patiently, hunkering behind the parapets until the Bombermen were close enough. He watched them and counted. Three . . . two . . . one. Soon, a few were right up next to the castle wall. "Here I go!" he shouted. He climbed up on top of the parapet and jumped straight down, divebombing the robots in his patented "Head-On Assault," taking out three as he landed.

Brawler punched and rolled, tackling one robot and kicking another. He picked up his shot-put where it had landed and buried it in another Bomberman's chest. Nearby, he heard a loud hiss. One of the robots had activated its bomb. Brawler lashed out with a sex kick and sent the bomb flying. It landed far out in the middle of the army and took out four straight lines of robots in each direction.

Another hiss. Brawler hit the robot who lit it with an uppercut and sent the bomb out into the army again. It didn't go as far as he'd hoped this time, taking out a section of the castle wall when it blew. Brawler heard another hiss and he attacked the carrier, this time yanking the bomb from the robot's hands and throwing it out into the middle of the army. The bomb exploded and took out another batch of robots.

An explosion to Brawler's left jarred him and he turned to see a line of fire racing toward him. He jumped out of the way, but felt white-hot heat rake across his back and send him sprawling. He hit the ground and immediately found himself surrounded by hordes of Bombermen. The robots were about to close in on him when he heard the swish of a steel sword. In an instant, four of the robots found themselves decapitated. Three more staggered backward as fireballs plunged into their chests. Another tried to run but found himself strangled by a whip.

A pair of familiar boots planted themselves in the grass before Brawler's face, reaching down a hand to help him up. "Geez, little bro. I'm gone for a few levels and look what you do with the place." Brawler looked up to see Reggie smiling back at him. Brawler smiled back and took his hand.

"About time you got here," Brawler replied. "I had to take out a British guy all by myself. What were you doing? Playing _Legend of Zelda_ or something?"

Reggie smirked and stabbed an oncoming robot. "Something like that. Shall we fight?"

Brawler nodded. The brothers turned and stood back to back, fending off Bombermen as they came. All around them, all-out war took place. Mario bounced here and there, throwing fireballs and bouncing on heads. Simon followed close behind, striking foe after foe with his whip. Lucky floated around here and there, dropping Spinies on the heads of unsuspecting Bombermen. Impa and Ludwig stood side-by-side, casting spells at oncoming enemies. Samus and Zelda's guards had formed a bit of a moving tank, with the red knight using a shield to deflect any attacks, Samus blasting enemies right and left, and the blue knight randomly smacking stragglers with a shovel. Brawler thought it best not to ask.

"Where's Link?" Brawler asked. "Did you get the Triforce?"

"Yeah," Reggie said. "He's looking for Zelda. The Triforce will respond to her magic best. Where is she? Or Princess Peach, for that matter?"

"They're, um, in another castle," Brawler replied.

Reggie froze. "They're what?"

"Ganon," Brawler explained. "He, um . . ."

Reggie held up his hand. "I got it."

"Luigi's gone after them," Brawler added.

Reggie let out a breath. "Well, great."

"Impa's got some pretty strong magic, right?"

Reggie shrugged. "I guess. Not as much as Zelda, though."

The brothers continued their fight. As they watched, Link ran out of the castle carrying the Triforce and hurried over to Impa. The old woman took the Triforce and held it over her head. A wave of light expanded from the glowing triangles, forming a circle of energy around the castle and repelling all dark forces. All Bombermen contained within the field trembled with seizures as shadowy pixels dissipated from their bodies and left them free of Reset's control. It also happened to send Ludwig flying, but Lucky managed to catch him with his fishing rod and reel him back in.

"Yes!" Reggie and Brawler shouted, high-fiving each other.

The Bomberman in front of them looked around and shook its head. "Recalculating," it said. "Location unknown. What is the situation?"

"You've been controlled by a glitch," Reggie said. "Some of you've been freed, but there's still a lot left." He called over to Impa. "Can you expand it?"

Impa strained, her forehead beading with sweat. "No," she said. "That's all I've got."

The Bombermen on the outside of the energy field stared up at the wall of light. One of them shimmered for a second before taking a tentative step through. The second it passed through, it collapsed and a few spare pixels escaped its body. The robots stared at each other in quiet contemplation. One of them pulled out a bomb and lit it. Those inside the field watched in silence as the wick burned itself down. The bomb exploded, sending a pillar of flame right through the wall.

"Hit the deck!" Samus shouted. She, Brawler, and a number of Bombermen dropped to the ground as the fire passed a foot over them.

Impa stumbled and collapsed to one knee. The protective field emitting from the Triforce flickered. "The Bombermen aren't classified as villains. The Triforce doesn't keep them or their power out like it does the glitches," she said.

As one, the army of Bombermen pulled out their bombs and held them over their heads, pointing them all at the castle. "Stop them!" Samus shouted. She, Ludwig, and Mario started firing at the line of enemies. The free Bombermen and the Koopa Troop charged out of the field and tackled the first enemy they came to. Altogether, they managed to knock down several robots, but not nearly enough to make a difference.

Brawler and Reggie glanced at each other. "I think we're in trouble here," Brawler said.

Reggie nodded grimly. "I think you're right," he said. "Together?"

Brawler smiled. "Together."

Side by side, the brothers charged toward the line of enemies. They were a few feet away from their first two Bombermen when a stream of orange and blue energy balls streaked past them, wiping out the entire first two lines of enemies in front of them.

The brothers stopped and stared at each other. "What the—?" Reggie asked.

Brawler grinned from ear to ear. "I know those orange blasts."

The brothers turned to see their sister Erin come marching out of the castle, guns blazing and red hair flying, with the blue armored Mega Man by her side. "Howdy, boys," she said. "Keep things together while I was gone?"


	57. Chapter 56

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Fifty-Six: The Sonics

Alex and Villager hurriedly crept through the woods, keeping an eye out for Gilius and the Altered Beast. Sparkling rainbow-colored smoke billowed from the clearing where Opa-Opa had crashed, just a few meters ahead. The two heroes burst through the trees to find the winged spaceship lying in a heap, its yellow feet twitching. Jazz and Tom-Tom touched down beside them.

"What happened?" Jazz asked. "Something attacked Opa-Opa out of nowhere."

"We know," Alex grumbled.

"Who—?"

Jazz was cut short as a bright blue blur raced past her, making her wings flutter. Another blue blur raced between Villager and Alex, knocking them both to the ground.

Tom-Tom shifted irritably. "Tom-Tom no like blue blurs."

Alex got to his feet and brushed himself off. "I'm not too crazy about them myself."

"That's too bad, Alex," a cocky familiar voice said. "And here I thought we'd had fun together in that last All-Star Race."

The blue blurs zipped around the clearing and came to a stop on top of Opa-Opa's cockpit. The smug face of Sonic the Hedgehog smirked down at them twofold, a more modern, sleeker version on the left, a pudgy, shorter version on the right.

"What's up, guys," he said.

Villager and Jazz both smiled, but Alex crossed his arms and scowled. "Two seconds in and he's already spouting off one of his stupid catchphrases."

"Come on, Alex," Sonic said. He stopped and fistbumped himself for pulling off another catchphrase. "It's not my fault you stopped making games before video games could pull off good voice acting."

"And it's not my fault you stopped making good games before the jump to 3D."

Sonic chuckled and slid down Opa-Opa's side. His chubby doppelganger followed suit. "Not true. Adventure, Adventure 2, Colors, and Generations were all well-received in their time. Speaking of Generations, did you hear I'm getting a twenty-fifth anniversary—"

"Yeah, yeah," Alex said. "At least try and make it better than '06 this time. I'd ask for better than that, but we both know you can't do that anymore."

Sonic scowled. "Well, you know, Alex, my games may not be that great, but at least I can still _make_ games."

Tom-Tom grumbled. "Tom-Tom no like all the arguing. Can we just fight glitch now?"

"Yeah, come on," Villager said. "We've got bigger problems to deal with right now."

"Oh, no, please," a new voice said. "Don't stop on my account. This is the most worthwhile entertainment these two have put out in years."

Sonic and Alex froze. They and the rest of the group turned to see Gilius and the Altered Beast standing at the edge of the clearing. Gilius had his axe resting against his shoulder and was grinning at them with his filthy, pixelated teeth. Altered Beast flexed his bare muscles.

"Yay, glitches to fight!" Tom-Tom cheered.

The Altered Beast grinned. "I'm so glad you're happy to see us. Let's get to it then, shall we?"

"Yes. Let's."

A shadow dropped from the trees right behind the glitches. With a flash of steel, Joe Musashi's katana sliced across Gilius's throat. The dwarf man fell to the ground, his axe clattering aside. His body twitched and shuddered, Reset's pixels dispersing from his body. Joe then swung his katana at the Altered Beast, but the warrior simply put his hand out and caught it.

"Joe, Joe, Joe," Reset said, shaking his head. "You really must try and do better than this. You're supposed to be a ninja after all."

Reset's pixels started crawling up the blade. Joe reacted quickly this time, letting go of the handle and retreating back into the trees.

"Tom-Tom get him."

The little caveman mounted his skateboard and sped toward the glitch, filling the air with his axes. Jazz grabbed Villager's arms and the pair took off into the sky, Villager pulling a bowling ball from his pockets. Sonic nodded to his pudgy doppelganger and the pair sped off in separate directions around the clearing. Alex put up his fists and placed himself between Reset and the downed Opa-Opa. Reset studied each opponent's attack pattern before dodging under Villager's bowling ball and Tom-Tom's axes and grabbing the caveman by the throat.

"You first," he said. Pixels spread over Tom-Tom's face and body, absorbing his data into the Altered Beast's body within seconds. "Mmm, Wonder Boy. Delicious."

"Hey!" Villager shouted.

Reset turned around, and found his face full of Villager's shoe. The Altered Beast toppled to the ground as Villager quickly hopped away before he could be absorbed. The glitch tried to sit up but found his hands pinned to the ground by Joe's shurikens. A light blue blur sped out of nowhere and slammed into Reset's chest. The glitch slumped to the ground and remained still.

The group cautiously circled around him. "Did we do it?" Jazz asked, touching down beside Villager.

Sonic came to a halt on the Altered Beast's other side, followed by the other Sonic. "He should be. Altered Beast never had that much HP."

Villager edged closer. "What about Tom-Tom. Is he—?"

White pixels jumped out of the fallen warrior's body and grabbed Villager's leg by the ankle. Villager tried to pull back but the pixels held him fast.

"Villager!" Jazz screamed.

"Jazz, help!" Villager yelled as the pixels spread up his waist.

Jazz wrapped her arms around Villager and tried to pull him away. "Help me!" she shouted to the others. Sonic, Joe, and Alex rushed to her side. The pixels spread up Villager's chest and almost to where Jazz's arms held him. Alex and Sonic acted quickly, pulling her arms off of him. Jazz fought them off and tried to reach out for Villager's hand. Villager turned and met her eyes. He smiled sadly and tucked his hand against his chest, away from hers, and the pixels consumed him.

In seconds, he had vanished into Reset's body. The glitch's pixelized face smiled. "Oh, yeah," he said. "That feels good. In fact . . . Level up!"

The Altered Beast's body began to expand. His purple clothing vanished altogether and thick brown fur coated his body. His feet stretched into paws and his hands grew sharp black claws. His face began to push out, his nose forming into a muzzle and his mouth filling with glistening white fangs. His ears moved up to the top of his head and reshaped themselves into a point. He threw back his head and let out a feral howl, his muscles flexing and sending the shurikens that held him hostage flying. The hulking werewolf got to his feet, his new hairy tail swishing back and forth.

"Now, then," Reset's voice said, his canine mouth stretching into a smile. "Who's ready for round two?"


	58. Chapter 57

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Glitch

Jazz collapsed to her knees between Alex and Sonic. "You—you—Villager . . . ," she stuttered.

The Altered Beast licked his chops and flexed his beefy muscles. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said. "Did I just absorb your boyfriend. You know, I always wondered what you saw in that pudgy little nobody. Now, maybe I can get some insight." He raised his massive canine paw and took a step toward her.

Joe and Classic Sonic stepped in his way. "Not a step closer, glitch," Joe said.

Reset chuckled, his new canine ears twitching. "Really, Joe. Do you want to go for a third failure against me?" He looked between them at Jazz. "They just don't know when to give up, do they?"

Jazz glared back at him, tears in her eyes. "Tears?" he said in mock surprise. "Well, if you want the little squirt back that badly."

The hulking werewolf closed his eyes. Two huge blobs of pixels grew out of his torso, one forming into Tom-Tom, skateboard and tomahawks in hand, and the other becoming Villager, made entirely of large blocky polygons. "Get them," he said.

Villager tackled Joe, while Tom-Tom went after Classic Sonic. Modern Sonic charged himself up and pummeled the Altered Beast in the chest. Alex crouched beside Jazz. "You can sit this one out if you want," he said, patting her on the shoulder.

Jazz shook her head and wiped at her eyes. "No," she said. "I—I'm good. I'm a Smash Fighter. I can handle this guy." She got to her feet and looked at Alex. "Just be careful when you touch him."

Alex nodded. "Got it." He turned away from her and charged after the Altered Beast. His hand expanded into its rock formation and slammed into the werewolf's head. Jazz turned her attention to the polygon Villager standing over an unconscious Joe, holding a bowling ball in his hands. Jazz pulled out her soccer ball and beaned him across the head.

"Hey, Reset," she shouted. "You want to fight. Come and get me."

Villager's face twisted into a cruel smile. "Oh, isn't this nice," Reset's voice said. "A lovers' quarrel."

Jazz beaned him with another soccer ball. "Who are you?" she asked. "Why are you so obsessed with me and Villager?"

Villager looked shocked. "Oh, come on, babe, you don't recognize the sultry sound of my voice?"

Jazz looked uncertain. "Should I?"

Villager shrugged. "I suppose things have gotten a little _fuzzy_ since we last met," he said, stepping over Joe. "Perhaps a little reminder. Last you saw me, you were pushing me off a cliff to my death."

Jazz stumbled back. "That . . . that memory was real?"

Villager reached into his pocket, pulling out an old bloodstained axe. "I believe this used to belong to your beloved Villager, did it not?"

Jazz stared at the axe. The image triggered a memory in the back of her mind. Villager with an unhinged smile across his face. Jazz holding him down and telling him to breathe. Her old partner Garrett betraying them, trying to kill her and Villager. Coming at her with an axe.

"G-Garrett?" she said.

Villager's form stretched, his short squat body becoming that of a male bodybuilder. His skin became pale white just like Jazz's, his brown hair becoming gray. His red shirt and shorts became gray and blue workout clothes. Reset's new face smiled, mirroring the smile Garrett used to wear.

"Hey, babe, miss me?"

He took a step toward Jazz. Jazz backed up in unison. "Garrett, you're . . . you're a—"

"A glitch?" he said, a malicious glint in his eye. "Just a bit. No thanks to you. You and that little shrimp dropped me off that cliff and left me to die."

"We didn't push you or drop you," Jazz said. "You tried to kill me with that axe and fell."

Garrett hefted the axe and studied it. "Yeah, I guess I was a little crazed at the moment. Thankfully, Izzy found me and managed to salvage my programming. MosKRtly. He had to convert me into a glitch in order for me to function at all, and most of the time, I need to possess a host if I don't want to deal with this fZZTing stutter."

Garrett's image started to glitch out the way a TV screen will in a thunderstorm. He closed his eyes and focused, his body reshaping itself back into Villager. "Ah, well, I imagine you prefer this form better anyway." He hefted Villager's axe. "Let's have it, Jazz, one on one."

Garrett swung the axe and charged at Jazz. Jazz sidestepped around him and kicked him in the back of the head. Villager spun and slammed Jazz in the thigh with the butt of the axe, knocking her to the ground. He stepped over her and raised the axe. Jazz rolled, throwing him across the field. Villager tried to get to his feet, but Jazz was already on top of him, nailing him in the head with a jump kick. Villager hit the ground and rolled away, getting to his feet. He pulled out a small, fire hydrant-shaped robot from his pocket and sent it rocketing after Jazz. Jazz backflipped over the robot and sent her soccer ball flying at Villager's head. The ball collided with him and knocked him to the ground.

Jazz stopped and caught her breath. She looked around the battlefield. Joe Musashi still lay unconscious on the ground nearby, his katana laying in a patch of grass near Jazz's feet. Alex and Sonic were still fighting the Altered Beast's hulking werewolf form. Classic Sonic appeared to have subdued Tom-Tom already and had him tied up on top of Opa-Opa. Jazz knelt and picked up Joe's katana.

Reset-Villager shook his head and sat up. He glanced at Jazz turning the katana over in her hand. "Come now, babe," he said. "You wouldn't—"

Jazz raised the katana and plunged it into Reset's gut. "Get out of Villager's body!"

Reset gasped and collapsed. His body shuddered and pixelated. Jazz quickly removed the katana, and Reset's pixels dispersed altogether, leaving behind an unconscious Villager. "Villager!" Jazz collapsed to his side, and pulled him up in her arms.

Villager's eyes flickered. "Did you just stab me?" he asked.

Jazz laughed with relief and kissed him on the forehead. "Yeah, sorry."

Reset-Altered Beast let out a mighty howl nearby, and Sonic and Alex went flying over Jazz's head. Jazz looked up to see the werewolf tromping toward her. "Give me a minute," she whispered. She carefully lowered Villager to the ground and stepped over him. "Enough of this, Garrett," she said.

"Oh, look at big tough Jazz," the wolf growled. "She thinks that just because she took down one of my drones, she stands a chance against me."

"Maybe not alone," Alex said, stepping up beside her and rubbing a bump on his head. "But we're still here."

Both Sonics rushed up on Jazz's other side. "Yeah," Modern Sonic said. "We've taken on baddies much bigger than you."

The four fighters charged in. Both Sonics leaped into the air and pummeled Reset with homing attacks. Jazz flew in behind and grazed him with Joe's katana. Alex slammed him with his hand's rock formation and knocked him backwards. Reset fought back with punches and swipes, deflecting Modern Sonic with a backhand and kicking Alex in the chest. He grabbed Jazz by the leg and slammed her to the ground, but then got nailed in the forehead by Classic Sonic. Alex used scissors formation, causing the werewolf to stagger. Jazz rolled and shoved him in the back with an exercise pose, toppling him the rest of the way to the ground.

Reset got to his knees, heaving and panting. "You can't stop me," he growled. "Now that I am a glitch, I am all powerful. We brought the entire gaming world to its knees. Do you think you four stand any real chance against us?"

A tell-tale flutter of wings and hum of engines sounded behind the werewolf. Jazz looked up to see Opa-Opa getting to his feet. She smiled. "You don't seem all that powerful to me," she said. As one, she, Alex, and the Sonics dove for cover, pulling Villager, Tom-Tom, Joe, and Gilius out of the way with them. Reset howled in anger as Opa-Opa filled the clearing with laser blasts.

Jazz held Villager's body as she hunkered behind a tree, waiting for the hailstorm to end. After a few seconds, the sound of the blasts died down and she turned and peeked out into the clearing. Opa-Opa fluttered in the air merrily, the Altered Beast crumpled and unconscious at his feet. A few feet away, the blurry, pixelated form of Reset lay groaning on the ground. Jazz set Villager against the tree and stepped out, as did Alex and the Sonics.

Reset looked up as Jazz stood over him. "JazHGz," he said. "PKlease. HeVlp—"

The glitch froze, staring over Jazz's head. Jazz followed his gaze to see that the portal that had sent them to the Sega world in the first place had appeared in the sky over their heads. "What's going—?" Jazz started to ask, stepping back. She fell silent as a feminine green figure descended gracefully from the portal and touched down in the grass nearby.

"ReSHboot," Reset said.

"Hello, Garrett," the new glitch said. "It's time you went home. I'll be taking over from here."


	59. Chapter 58

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Master

"Erin!"

Brawler and Reggie tackled Erin in a bear hug, smothering her as only brothers can. Erin looked surprised and slightly squished at first but then joined in, squeezing her brothers right back. Rock stood a couple feet away, pointing his gun at the army of Bomberman and smiling at the siblings' reunion.

"Where in the world have you been?" Reggie said.

"I'm so sorry about making you fall," Brawler said at the same time.

"I missed you guys so much," Erin said as well.

The three siblings stopped and took a deep breath, staring at each other with big goofy grins on their faces. Finally, Erin broke the silence. "Um, anyway," she said. She gestured to Rock. "I, uh, picked up a new friend. This is Rock. Rock, these are my brothers, Brawler and Reggie."

Rock smiled. "Hey," he said. "I've heard a lot about you both."

Reggie and Brawler both raised an eyebrow and grinned at Erin. "Oh," Reggie said. "You've been traveling with _Mega Man_ , huh?"

Brawler gave Reggie a knowing look. "I guess she didn't really miss us after all. A little busy, I'd imagine."

Erin turned bright red and didn't meet Rock's gaze. She punched both her brothers in the arm. "Shut up, you two. We have an army to fight. Come on, Rock."

"Yeah, come on, Rock," Reggie said. "Let's see what you've got."

The four heroes turned back to the line and joined the fight. Erin held up her cannon arm as well as an old NES Zapper and started double-blasting away. Rock stood on the opposite side, blasting through the ranks with his cannon arm and punching any Bomberman who came close with what looked like an NES Power Glove. Brawler and Reggie attacked their opponents head-on, Reggie beheading his foes and Brawler beating them into submission. Samus fought nearby, her energy balls wiping out hordes with every blast. Ludwig stood over a passed out Impa, defending her with magic spells. Lucky flew over the entire battlefield, shouting out a warning to Mario and Simon as they worked their way through the army a few yards to the right.

"Brawler, duck!" the Lakitu shouted.

Mega Man and the three siblings all hit the deck as a bomb exploded nearby, sending a pillar of flames over their heads. Without missing a beat, the four got back to their feet and started fighting again.

"It's like a Zerg Rush out here," Brawler said.

"Oh, please, don't say that," Reggie said. "The last thing I need is to end up like Google."

Rock looked at Erin and raised an eyebrow. "Meta joke," she said. "Just ignore them."

The heroes kept fighting their way through the Bomberman army. The few free Bombermen helped, but even after fighting for a solid ten minutes, they still had barely made a dent. Erin, Rock, and Samus were starting to run low on ammo, Reggie and Brawler were drenched in sweat, and Mario now stood at half the size as everyone else. Eventually, Reggie, Erin, Brawler, Rock, Mario, Link, Samus, Simon, and a handful of good Bombermen were forced into a group in the middle of the army with enemies on all sides. Lucky still floated overhead, helping out with spinies, but even he was starting to run out. Ludwig, his remaining forces, and Zelda's knights had barricaded themselves inside the castle, watching over the unconscious Impa.

"Where's Chibi?" Reggie asked.

"Right here, Boss," the little robot said, poking his head out from his hiding place in Brawler's shirt. "What do you need?"

Reggie ran his hand through his sweaty blonde hair. "How many more are there?"

"Give me a second," Chibi said. He beeped and processed for a second. "Still a couple hundred, boss."

The eight gathered heroes groaned in unison.

"Can I go back to being just a plumber now?" Mario asked at Reggie's elbow.

"Seriously," Simon said. "I mean, my games are hard, but this is _Dark Souls_ level here."

"Wiping out the entire Metroid race was easier than this," Samus said.

The sounds of more wicks lighting all around them echoed across the battlefield. Erin's shoulders fell. "Well, bros," she said, "At least I got to see you two again for a little bit. We may not be making it out of this one."

The whole group fell silent, the only sounds those of the heroes' weapons as they continued their valiant efforts. In the midst of all the fighting, Rock's hand found Erin's. For a split second, Erin's eyes met his. "I just want to say thanks for going on this journey with me," he told her. "I know I was a pain for a little while there, but . . . you helped me. You reminded me who I am."

Erin smiled slightly. "No problem," she said. "I was happy to have y—"

She stopped and stared at Rock's hand clasped in hers. Rock let go and held it up to see that the Power Glove he wore glowed with brilliant, golden light. A square spot in his chest vibrated with energy. Rock opened his chest compartment and pulled out the _Legacy Collection_ game package, which was glowing with the same light.

"What the?" He flipped open the package. Light instantly flooded the battlefield, blinding the combatants. A small golden figurine appeared in the spot where the disk was held, a near perfect replica of Erin's Mega Man amiibo. Rock stared at the figure, tentatively reaching out his fingers to grasp it. As soon as his hand wrapped around it, the figure's light spread throughout his whole body and the figure itself merged with the Power Glove.

"Rock?" Erin said.

"I—I remember," he said, his eyes wide. "I remember everything. I remember all the Robot Masters. I remember Proto Man and Bass and . . . and Rush. I have a dog. I remember fighting in Smash Bros. I remember fighting Wolverine and Magneto and . . . I remember you in a chicken costume?"

Erin looked away, blushing.

"And I remember . . . I am a Game Master."

A glowing orb like a Smash Ball, but with a large yellow-and-purple "C," appeared in the air before him. Rock grasped it with his Power Glove and crushed it. The glowing aura of a Final Smash surrounded his body. "Let's do this," he said, pounding the A Button on the glove. A dark blue shockwave blasted from Rock's body and enveloped the entire army, trapping them all in a bizarre blue dimension.

Figures started to appear out of thin air, surrounding the heroes and throughout the Bomberman army. Hundreds of robots appeared, including several that looked nearly identical to Rock but with slight differences, and hundreds of Robot Masters. Rock's brother Elec Man appeared by his side and clamped his hand on his shoulder. Two robots, one with red and one with black armor, appeared standing before Rock and Erin. Another robot with red-and-white armor and a long blonde ponytail came in with a flying kick, taking out a Bomberman in the process. Even Roll had appeared, looking around slightly confused.

Others appeared alongside the robots. The warrior Ryu appeared alongside a blonde man in a red tunic, an Asian woman in a blue kimono, a beefy man in red military garb, and hundreds of others. A white-haired man in a red outfit came in with handguns blazing, a similar looking man in a blue outfit by his side. Enormous monsters appeared out of nowhere, rampaging through the Bombermen like they were nothing more than toys. Erin even thought she spotted Spider-Man swinging around.

"Whoa," she said.

Rock raised his glowing glove. "Heroes of Capcom!" he shouted. "Let's finish this!"


	60. Chapter 59

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Completion

The battle was over in a matter of seconds.

The endless robots did a lot of the work, blasting through lines of Bombermen as if they were made of cardboard. The monsters of _Monster Hunter_ helped out a lot too, turning every enemy in their path into scrap metal. Some guy in a quasi-Power Ranger/Mega Man-esque costume ran around and posed a lot. The Street Fighters managed to wipe out one whole quarter of the army. Erin guessed all the years of destroying cars were paying off.

Finally, it was over. The Mii Fighters, Mario, Simon Belmont, Link, Samus Aran, a few Bombermen, and Lucky the Lakitu stood together in a cluttered battlefield filled with spare robot parts, broken bombs, and just about every Capcom character Erin could think of. Erin stared at the desolate landscape, her mouth gaping.

"R-Rock?" she said, looking up at her friend.

Rock stared at his tiny golden duplicate, his whole body glowing with energy. He closed his hand around it. He glanced at her and smiled. "Level Complete," he said.

The whole world turned white.

When her vision cleared, Erin found herself standing on the pedestal in the middle of the black void surrounded by eight round platforms where Pac-Man had first told them of the eight Game Masters. Her brothers, Mario, Link, Samus, Simon, and Lucky all stood around her. Pac-Man stood on his platform, playing the arcade booth before him.

The platform beside it lit up blue and flashed the symbol of Capcom, the company's title in big bold letters outlined in yellow. Rock appeared atop the platform, his blue armor polished and gleaming, his golden amiibo in his hand. A small pillar appeared before him, an old Famicom system resting atop it. Rock pulled out a cartridge of _Mega Man 2_ and plugged it into the system. A beam of white light extended from the back of the system and connected to the central platform.

"Well done, heroes," he said. "You have found and reawakened the second Game Master." He looked a little self-conscious and gestured to himself. "Me."

The other heroes of Capcom appeared behind him, Ryu, Ken, Mega Man X, Dante, and more, as well as Rock's six brothers, the original Robot Masters. "The power of Capcom is now yours to command," he said. "As was Namco's before. If you need any of our help, all you need do is call upon us."

Rock glanced at Pac-Man, who nodded reassuringly. "I—I cannot go with you at this time, but you have even more allies to help you now." He gestured to Samus, Link, Simon, and Lucky. "You'll need their help, as the fifth generation of gaming will be even more complex and dangerous for you. Mario?"

Mario looked up uncertainly. "M-Me?"

Rock nodded. "Yes, Mario," he said. "Your time is coming soon. You will need to remember who you are if you are to take your place as the third Game Master. To do so, you will need to find your brother and save Princess Peach. You must travel to Yoshi's Island to accomplish this. Samus and Link may attend you."

Mario glanced up at the two heroes standing beside him. He fiddled with his hands. "I-if you say so," he said.

"As for the fourth Game Master," Rock continued, "your friends Villager and Jazz will soon play a hand in his awakening. And the rest of you," he nodded to Erin in particular, "Seek out a man named Crono. He will guide you to what you need."

He looked at Pac-Man with a question in his eyes. Pac-Man considered for a second before nodding. "Don't take too long."

Rock smiled and hopped off of his platform onto the pedestal, standing before Erin. The surrounding platforms and the rest of the group vanished, leaving the pair alone on the platform. "I have to go now," Rock said.

Erin swallowed. "A-Are you sure?" she asked.

Rock nodded. "Unfortunately. I need to return to my home, get the Capcom universe sorted out again."

"I understand," Erin said. She put on a smile. "Thanks for the adventure."

Rock held out the small golden figure. "I want you to keep this," he said. "To remember me by. It will allow you to summon me, the real me, not the Amiibo me, if you need me."

Erin stared at the golden Amiibo. "Are you sure?" she asked. "Isn't it a source of your masterhood or something."

Rock smiled. "No," he said. He patted his chest. "The masterhood's in here. This just give it a little nudge once in a while."

He held the Amiibo out again, and Erin took it from his hand. She looked it over, turning it in her hand. She wiped at her eyes. She took a deep breath and punched him on the arm. "Don't you go forgetting about me, now," she said.

Rock smiled. "How could I," he said. He patted his stomach compartment. "We still have a lemon to share, remember?"

Erin blushed. Rock brushed her hair back, leaned in, and kissed her. "Goodbye, Erin," he said. He stepped back and hopped back onto his platform.

Suddenly, her brothers, the other Capcom heroes, and everyone else had reappeared. "Erin," Brawler whispered, nudging her. "Erin."

Erin shook her head. "What?"

"You've been staring into space for like five minutes now," he said. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, um, nothing," she said. She looked away and smiled.

"I bid you all good luck on your journey," Rock said. "I must leave you now." The heroes behind his started to fade into the gloom. Just before the last Robot Master vanished, Rock nodded to Simon Belmont. "Hey, Simon," he said, holding up his Power Glove. "Captain N says hi."

Simon raised an eyebrow and traded confused looks with Link.

Rock turned transparent and disappeared.

* * *

Izzy stood before his console, watching events play out. A small meter on the console filled up a few more inches. "Things are moving along nicely," Izzy said. He held up a small dirt-covered cartridge with the faded image of a long-necked alien on it. "Wouldn't you say so, E.T.?"

"Um, boss?"

Izzy turned to see the red and blue glitches Hack and Slash approaching him cautiously. "We were wondering if we might get a second chance this generation," Hack said. "We do have a rather nice collection at our disposal."

Izzy glared at them, fingering the kunai hanging from his coat. He looked over the screens before him. "Let's see now, Reboot's handling the Sega Genesis, Ganon's dealing with Mario, and one of my Game Master candidates is handling the Mii Fighters. Perhaps . . ."

He reached under the console and pulled out an old Game Boy. "Here," he said. "Go help with the Mii Fighters. See what mayhem you can accomplish with this."

He tossed it at them. Slash caught it in his hands. "Thank you, Master," the glitches said, bowing their heads. "We won't fail you this time."


	61. Chapter 60

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Sixty: The Surprise

The ground began to rumble under Jazz's feet. She, Alex, and the Sonics glanced around in confusion. Opa-Opa fluttered his wings and hopped from foot to foot. The glitch Reboot appeared to smile, though it was hard to tell through her eight-bit face. "It seems we're moving on into the fourth generation," she said. "Brace youselves."

All around the heroes, the simple forested world of Alex Kidd fell away, the trees disappearing and the small hills flattening out. The grass under their feet took on more colors, becoming a mix of bright and dark greens. Then, with the force of an earthquake, the featureless field shattered into pieces, some sections moving up and down, forming hills, valleys, and long, loping stretches. Massive sections of earth heaved themselves from the ground and flipped themselves over, forming huge natural loop-de-loops. Small golden rings popped up everywhere. The ground started to bubble under Jazz's feet and she hopped out of the way just as a tall, red pole shot out of the ground, a large blue orb stuck to its top.

A wave of color and definition washed over the heroes, making everything slightly brighter and sharper. Jazz winced in pain as the wings on her back flickered and disappeared. Both Sonics stretched out their arms and legs. "Now that's more like it," the modern one said.

Jazz turned to see Villager stirring. "What the-?" he asked.

Almost too late, Jazz realized Villager was now sitting on a small ledge over a cliff. "Villager, move!" she shouted.

Villager realized it too and rolled out of the way as the ground beneath him crumbled into small square blocks. "Geez," he said. "We're in Sonic's world now."

"That's right," Reboot said, now standing on a cliff high above the heroes. " _Sonic the Hedgehog_ , flagship game of the Sega Genesis." The glitch closed her eyes and breathed in. "Can't you just feel the history. The greatness of Sega's heyday, long before you all became the miserable failures you are today. It's awe-inspiring."

Alex scowled up at the glitch. "I wouldn't be too cocky, lady," he shouted up. "We took down one of your guys already, we can take you down too."

Reboot laughed. "Oh, I'm sure you could, Alex Kidd," she said. "Unfortunately, I have an unfair advantage in this round. Do you want to see?"

"I'd rather just take you down and get on to my next adventure," Modern Sonic said. "I've got some Chaos Emeralds to find, you know?"

"Oh, but it will be such a sweet surprise," she said. "Just a demonstration, then?" The glitch held her hand in the air. "Heroes of Sega," she shouted. "Defend your world!"

Sonic and Alex both crossed their arms. "Come on, lady," Alex said. "You're going to have to do better than that."

"Seriously," Sonic said. "Only Sega's Game Masters can call upon the heroes like that."

"Um, guys," Jazz said.

The heroes looked around to see Altered Beast, Joe, and Gilius getting to their feet. The three warriors glared at Sonic and Alex, brandishing their weapons. "Look at that," Sonic said. "Now, we've got three more to help bring you down. Right, guys?"

"Not today, Sonic," Gilius growled through his green teeth.

"You're the enemy now," Joe said, brandishing his katana.

Sonic hesitated. He glanced at his companions. Classic Sonic shrugged. Alex grimaced. Villager and Jazz glanced around with worried expressions. "Oh, please," Sonic said. "So, you can still control these guys. Is that you're only MO? Seriously, show us something new."

"Okay, my dear," Reboot said. "How about this?" She raised her hand and snapped her fingers. A man in a white tunic appeared, flexing his muscles and scowling similarly at Sonic.

Villager raised an eyebrow. "Ryu?" he asked.

"No," Jazz corrected. "Akira Yuki from Virtua Fighter."

"Or this?" Reboot said, snapping her fingers again. This time a little brown monkey in a clear ball appeared. Another snap. A strange floating being in a purple jester's costume. Snap. A pink-haired woman in silvery clothing. Snap. A green robot made up of loosely connected spheres.

Every time Reboot snapped her fingers, another hero from Sega's history appeared. A young man with roller skates and a spray paint canister. A little boy with a giant egg. A taxicab bouncing up and down on its wheels. All staring at Modern Sonic with hate and loathing in their eyes. "Heroes of Sega," Reboot shouted. "Kill the one who betrayed you. Kill the one who dragged your company into the dirt. Kill _Sonic the Hedgehog_!"

Sonic swallowed, looking around in terror. "Hey, guys," he said. "Come on. We're friends."

"Not anymore," Joe said.

Gilius raised his axe. "Get him!"

The heroes rushed at Sonic. Classic Sonic took action, leaping into the air and pouncing on the heads of the other heroes and speeding his way toward the top of the cliff where Reboot stood. Meanwhile, Alex, Villager, and Jazz stood back-to-back with Sonic, defending themselves as much as him. "Opa!" Alex shouted. To his relief, the rainbow spaceship burst from the crowd and sped toward him, free of Reboot's control. The ship circled them, flipping its top open.

"Hurry, inside!" Alex shouted. He jumped into the cockpit as it passed, Villager, Jazz, and Sonic following suit, Jazz having to rely on her hula hoops once again now that her wings were gone.

"Wait, what about Classic Sonic? Or Tom-Tom?" Villager shouted.

"This is the old me's world," Sonic said. "He can manage."

"And they're only after Sonic," Alex said. He pointed to a small figure speeding away from the crowd on a skateboard. "See, he'll be fine."

Opa-Opa's cockpit closed and the ship sped around the hill where Reboot stood, spraying it with laser fire before speeding away across the rocky landscape. Opa-Opa's radio crackled and Reboot's voice broadcasted over its intercom. "Run, run, run, Sonic," the glitch laughed. "It's what you're best at, isn't it? Just know you'll never be able to escape me. Let me leave you with a little something to let you know I'm only _letting_ you keep your little ship."

Opa-Opa suddenly rocked and plummeted several feet. Before the passengers could panic or scream, however, the ship righted itself and went back to flying as if everything were normal. Alex sat back with a heavy sigh. "What the heck was that?" He glared at Sonic. "Care to explain how a glitch as Master Powers, Sonic?" he asked.

"Don't ask me," Sonic retorted. "I certainly didn't give them to her. Are you sure I'm the _only_ one you've been handing out Master Powers to, Alex?"

"If I had, it would have been to someone I knew I could trust, not a glitch or a good-for-nothing hedgehog who squanders his—"

"Okay! Enough!" Jazz shouted. "Both of you! Right now, we need to find someplace safe. Any ideas?"

Sonic and Alex glared at each other one more time before turning away and looking out opposite sides of Opa-Opa's cockpit. "Let's head for Tails' workshop."

"Oh, yeah," Alex said sarcastically. "Then we can be ripped apart by all of your friends. Can't wait to be sat on by Big the Cat."

"Please, Alex," Sonic said. "They're all part of my own series. Even if Reboot can control the rest of Sega, she won't be able to control them." The hedgehog bit his lip. "At least . . . I would assume," he said.

* * *

Reboot stood staring after the fleeing heroes, the warriors of Sega surrounding her. "Well," she said, "Let's see what fun we can have."

She looked down to see the Altered Beast and Akira Yuki restraining Classic Sonic while Joe and Gilius kept their weapons to his throat. She knelt so that she was face to face with the hedgehog. "I'm sure you've figured out by now that I can't control any former Game Masters, only the ordinary Sega characters," she said. "Which means I'm going to have to go old school if I want to deal with you."

She placed her pixelated hand to his belly, her pixels spreading quickly across him. Classic Sonic pulled and struggled against his captors as the pixels slowly overwhelmed him. Once the pixels had covered him completely, he stopped struggling and hung limp.

"You can let me go now," Reboot's voice came from his lips. Akira and the Beast let go and Classic Sonic got to his feet. Reboot stretched her host's arms and legs, flexing her fingers. She looked around at her servants. "I assume you all know the way to Tails' house?"


	62. Chapter 61

The Mii Fighter Chronicles

Chapter Sixty-One: The Esper

Everything was cold and dark.

Brawler shivered as the Masters' dimension disappeared, leaving he, his siblings, and their allies in some sort of dark cave or tunnel. Chill bit through to Brawler's very mainframe. Erin looked even colder beside him, shivering in her black tank top.

"Chibi, where are we?" Reggie said, getting to his feet and helping Mario up. The tiny robot on his shoulder beeped and scanned the tunnel. "The data does not match any world known to Nintendo," the robot said. "The closest match I can find is Super Mario RPG and Cloud's inclusion in the last Smash Tournament, but neither is a very strong match."

"I sense powerful magic nearby," Link said, stepping into the tunnel's weak light. The other heroes jumped back in surprise. The Link that stood before them now had purple hair, a metal blue shield instead of a wooden one, his tunic was more well-kept and intricate, and his facial features were different than before.

Simon and Lucky squinted at the new Link. "Um, were you with us before?" Simon asked.

Link stared at him, as if confused, but then he stared right back at him as if he too were unfamiliar. "Um, I . . . uh, don't remember," he said. "Was I? Who are all of you."

Erin and Brawler glanced at Reggie in confusion. "Um, Reg," Brawler said, "what's going on?"

Reggie studied Link for a second. "I think we're dealing with a Hyrule Historia issue," he said.

The Mii Fighters and their allies all stared at Reggie, even Link. "A what?" Samus said.

Reggie bit his lip, pondering how best to explain. "According to the Hyrule Historia, there are multiple different Links, all existing at different points in the _Legend of Zelda_ timeline. The Link we were with before was the original Link from the NES game. I'm guessing we're with the _Link to the Past_ Link now, which took place a few hundred years before the original game. As we're now in his gaming generation, he has taken the place of the Link we had before."

The team stared at him in confusion.

"I don't get it," Simon said.

Reggie shook his head. "Link is now his own great grandpa," he said. Still nothing. "Wibbly wobbly timey wimey," he tried. Brawler chuckled but still nothing. "A new player has picked up the old Link's controller."

A circle of "Oh's" surrounded Reggie. He rolled his eyes. "Really, you got that one? Look, can we just get back to figuring out where we are and I can try to explain later?"

The group collectively shrugged. Samus checked her instruments. "I don't know about magic, but I am detecting a lot of technology in the area. Most of it seems steam and coal powered."

Chibi scanned further. "You're both right," he said. "A world of magic and technology. I'm . . . I seem to be picking up a massive source of magic right . . . behind us."

The team turned sharply, raising their weapons. Enough combat experience in the past few days had conditioned them to always expect a battle. Instead, they found nothing but pitch darkness. "Lights," Erin ordered. Chibi-Robo and Samus both lit up bright lights from their bodies, illuminating their surroundings. The team scrambled back in alarm when the source of magical power was revealed.

The heroes were in fact standing in a wide mine shaft. Dug out walls of rock and ice surrounded them and rough wooden tracks ran below their feet. Sticking out from the ground nearby, a fifty-foot beast stood bearing down on them, frozen solid in a thick block of ice. The beast was some sort of enormous bird or dragon, with bright, rainbow-colored plumage. Great golden eyes glared down at them menacingly.

Brawler leaned in to his sister. "Should we break it out?" he asked. "Maybe it's the Avatar."

Erin stared open-mouthed at the monster. "I . . . don't think it's the Avatar, Brawler," she said.

"No," Reggie said, squinting at the bird. "This thing looks familiar. I think it's from one of my old SNES games." His eyes flew open wide. "Wait," he said. "Chibi! You said this world almost matched Cloud, right? Quick, is there anything, um, technological coming toward us."

Chibi scanned for a second. "Yes," he nodded. "Three objects, heading straight toward us."

Reggie hopped back and forth on his feet excitedly. "I know what game we're in. I know what game we're in."

"Well, then, calm down, kid, and tell us," Simon said.

"Even better," Reggie said. "I'll show you. Come on." Reggie took off down the mine shaft toward the entrance. Erin and Brawler followed, the other heroes joining in. Reggie skidded to a halt at the edge of the icy tunnel and pointed down the slope. "Look there."

Erin and Brawler slid up next to him and followed his gaze. The mine shaft looked down from a snowy mountain onto a small mining village buried in at least six feet of snow. Fires blazed all across the tiny town and the few sounds they could hear were sounds of pain or terror. Between the heroes and the town, three mechanical behemoths were making their way up the mountain pass to the entrance of the mine shaft, their enormous feet making huge imprints in the snow.

"We're in Final Fantasy VI," Brawler said. He and his brother shared a grin.

Lucky the Lakitu licked his lips, staring at the robots and making a square with his fingers. "I bet that would be the greatest shot from behind," he said. "Man, I wish I had my camera."

Simon squinted down at the mech suits lumbering slowly toward them. "I don't get it," he said. "How does a 'final' fantasy go up to six."

"Long story," Erin said. "Um, Reggie, remember how this scene ends in the game."

Reggie continued staring excitedly at the mechs as his brain subconsciously processed what she said. His eyes flew open wide with realization. "Um, guys," he said. "We do not want to be between them and the monster back there."

"Why not?" Samus asked.

"Just trust me," Reggie said, looking around for a side tunnel or something. "It's not going to be pretty." He glanced outside again. "Too late to get around behind them. Behind the esper, quickly."

"Esper?" Mario asked.

"The monster, hurry!"

The heroes followed Reggie behind the frozen beast, all of them hunkering down behind his massive form. A few seconds later, they heard the sound of six giant metal feet stomping through the mine toward the monster.

"This is the frozen esper?" a human voice said.

At the sound of the man's voice, the ice surrounding the monster started to glow, filling the cave with bright blue light. The heroes squeezed in tighter to their hiding place to avoid being seen.

"Hey, what's the matter?" another voice said. "Do you know something we don't?"

One of the mechanical suits took a few steps forward. The great beast started to glow eerily.

"Hey," the same voice said. "Where's that light coming from—AAAGGH!"

The mine cried out in pain before falling silent. "W-Wedge," another said, a slight edge of panic in his voice. "Where are you? Wh—What's happening?"

The frozen monster glowed again and the other one fell silent. Reggie peeked out from around the beast to see what was going on. Two of the giant robot suits had vanished entirely, not a trace of them remaining. Only one remained, its pilot, a young girl with green hair and a thin circlet of silver around her head, stood staring up at the monster with a blank trancelike expression on her face. The monsters form glowed blue once more and thick streaks of blue lightning blasted from it striking the girl's mech suit and silver circlet. The cavern shook and blue light filled the small space.

Once the light had died down and the dust had settled, Reggie and his friends edged cautiously out from behind the monster. The young pilot lay unconscious on the ground, her mech suit and circlet both gone. "What was that?" Mario asked. "Why didn't the monster vaporize her like the others?"

"This is Terra," Reggie said. "She's the game's protagonist." He knelt beside her and examined her. Despite being unconscious, she seemed otherwise unharmed. "She was being controlled by the other two. The esper freed her."

Samus stared up at the beast's frozen form. "Whatever the case," she said. "I think it best we not spend any further time in this thing's presence. Come on."

Reggie slipped his arms under the unconscious Terra and lifted her off the ground. He and the other heroes hurried out of the cave and down to the village below.


	63. Author's Note

Hey, everybody, prastarkeepers here,

No, I'm not dead.

I just wanted to apologize a bit for the hiatus. It seems a lot of people actually miss this. Way back when I stopped, my gusto for the series had dwindled away several chapters back and I was just pushing forward out of a sense of "never quitting." Then one week, I just couldn't get up any desire to open up the story and write the next chapter and I haven't worked up the gumption to do so since. A couple of times I have considered it, but I could never get the head of steam going that I needed. As of right now, I don't know if I'll ever be able to go back to it. I'm not really in the same place I was when I was writing it. My life has moved on. I've been writing other things, things I do have a head of steam for. I do miss it though. I will always remember "Smash Freshmen" as my first real success as a writer, and this series probably could have been a strong sequel.

Thanks for hanging in there and thank you so much for reading. I couldn't stand leaving you without an explanation any longer. I owed you that much.

See you around,

Paul Adams, or prastarkeepers


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